Elijah: Beyond the Fire

There’s something deeply unsettling about the way prophets can so easily become consumed by their own fire. Prophets who continue to lead (or end) with their rage have only half of the message. [1] Anger, on its own, may reveal injustice or awaken a community to urgent change, but without compassion it risks becoming a force of destruction rather than renewal. The task of a prophet is not merely to expose wrongdoing but to guide people toward healing and reconciliation. When anger dominates, the prophet’s voice becomes incomplete, unable to move beyond condemnation into the deeper work of transformation. Compassion doesn’t dilute the message—it completes it. Without it, prophetic words can harden into self-righteousness, fueling division rather than inspiring change (James 1:20).

Equally troubling is how easily people mistake passion for prophecy. A person may speak with fire, with force, with all the urgency of someone who sounds like they know what’s true. But passion and prophecy are not the same thing. [1] Emotional intensity, no matter how compelling, does not guarantee wisdom. Prophecy emerges from something deeper—something grounded, stable, and discerning. While passion can ignite hearts for a moment, it does not sustain transformation on its own. The power of prophecy lies in its ability to reveal what endures—not just what excites (1 Corinthians 13:1-2). A crowd may be stirred by an impassioned voice, but stirring emotions is not the same as revealing truth.

True prophets know this because they recognize that they are not the source of their own wisdom. They understand their role as instruments, not initiators. True prophets are aware that they are an instrument of God for delivering the message, and not its initiator. [1] This awareness keeps them humble. It allows them to speak boldly without believing that the message depends on their own brilliance or force of will. The task of the prophet is not to manufacture wisdom or orchestrate a desired response but to speak the truth with integrity (Jeremiah 1:7-9). This humility is what gives prophetic voices their power—not their charisma, not their cleverness, but their willingness to stand aside and let truth speak for itself.

This is why discerning true prophecy requires careful attention. We must always ask, Does the energy of the prophet point radically to the divine or stop with the pyrotechnics and oratory of the prophet himself? [1] It’s all too easy to mistake spectacle for truth. A speaker can dazzle with sharp words, fiery conviction, and impressive displays of knowledge. But real prophecy does not end with admiration for the messenger—it directs our gaze to something far greater (John 3:30). When the focus lingers on the prophet’s skill rather than the deeper call to transformation, something essential has been lost. A true prophet’s presence is always self-effacing; they point beyond themselves to the wisdom that grounds them.

Even when a message seems to be accompanied by miraculous signs, we must be careful. Even apparent miracles must be discerned by their fruits. [1] Spectacle can be deceiving, and the presence of extraordinary events does not always confirm the presence of divine truth. A miracle that inspires pride, aggression, or blind loyalty may only serve to deepen falsehood. Prophecy is always about more than appearances—it’s about the lasting impact a message has on the heart and soul. If a supposed miracle leads to harm, manipulation, or the diminishment of human dignity, it has betrayed the very truth it claimed to reveal (Matthew 7:15-20).

Above all, the work of a prophet demands a willingness to surrender control. A true prophet leaves the success of the message in God’s hands. [1] This is perhaps the greatest mark of an authentic prophetic voice. They speak the truth, then let it go. They trust that truth itself will do its work—perhaps immediately, perhaps slowly, perhaps long after the prophet’s own voice has faded from memory. That detachment is a sign of purity, a willingness to let truth unfold on its own terms. Their job is to speak the truth and let go of the consequences or any need for an ideal response. [1] The true prophet neither demands applause nor despairs in rejection. Their focus remains on truth itself—spoken faithfully, entrusted fully, and released completely (Isaiah 55:10-11).

[1] Richard Rohr, The Tears of Things