The prophet’s greatest enemy is usually the top brass in his field. Billy Mitchell was court-martialed in his day because he saw beyond his contemporaries in aviation. He was granted a posthumous award. That reminds us of our Lord’s biting words to the Pharisees who built tombs for the prophets and garnished the sepulchers of the righteous whom their forefathers slew (Matthew 23:29-31). Amos had his Amaziah and the early church had to contend with the religious hierarchy. And our Lord had His greatest controversy continually with scribes and Pharisees. Whether in the world or in the church, look out for the swivel-chair authorities who murder prophets in one generation and memorialize them in the next!
Devotion of the Day
Saviour or Song?
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:2.
A well-known pastor tells of a soloist who sang with real artistry a great Gospel song one Sunday morning. By musical standards it was flawless, but the minister detected a lack of “heart,” although there was plenty of art. At the door he asked the singer, “Was that song real to you or was it just a song?” She flushed, but she was honest, and she finally replied, “Pastor, I’m afraid it was just a song.”
We should have both, a Saviour and a song. The Lord Jehovah is our salvation, our strength and our song. When he lifts us out of the miry clay and puts our feet on the Rock, He also puts a song in our mouth. But nothing is so hollow as singing something we know nothing about. A lot of that goes on in churches on Sunday mornings, it is to be feared, and no matter how much of “art” there is, it will not make up for lack of “heart.”
Is the Lord your salvation and strength or is He “just a song”?