The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there. 2 Kings 17:22-23

In this passage, the servants of God – the prophets – are mentioned almost in passing. They warned the people countless times, then got out of the way. There is only so much warning a person can do when a people is “stiff-necked” as the Bible describes. Throughout the series of Kings, we have seen the role of the prophets in the lives of the people and their leaders. They warned kings; they warned religious leaders; they warned the people. They wept over people; they called down fire on false prophets; they had compassion on the helpless.

In our day and age, we are sorely lacking truth-telling, God-fearing prophets. We do have prophets, but we tend to question their motives, especially if they are selling books about their prophesies or the role of Biblical prophesy in history.

The prophet of old would roar into town, condemn the sinful actions of the people, expose religious and political leaders where necessary, and leave (or be forced out). The townpeople considered him to be a kook (think John the Baptist, Elijah, or Elisha), but they got the message loud and clear: sin is sin, and you need to repent. He often proclaimed this message at his own personal expense and peril, knowing that the people could rise up against him and stone him (especially if he was wrong about a prophetic utterance).

So, where are the modern day prophets? Do they exist? In every land in this world, we desperately need prophets. Pray that God will raise up more prophets who will speak the truth when it’s not always easy or politically correct, Most importantly, pray that these prophets will have the anointing and passion that sets them apart.