The Prophets of Late Night

Here's looking at you, John Oliver.

Also to a lesser extent- Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers all fit the profile to one extent or another.

I know what you are thinking- most of them aren't Christians.  Okay?  However, you don't have to be a Christian to have a similar function as a prophet.  All four of these guys spoke truth to power while Drumpf was president.  None of them shied away from criticizing the then-president.  

John Oliver is probably the one who most exemplifies this.  His recent pieces about welfare reform and timeshares are just the tip of the iceberg on how John tackles today's issues head on and tries to correct the issues that plague our culture.

In a lot of ways, a prophet is just someone that likes to speak the truth about issues to people, in the hopes of acquiring a course correction.  Often, what a prophet says is unpopular with some people.  A diehard prophet isn't afraid to say many things that are annoying or "against the grain" of popular culture to the people of their age.  While it's true that what these comedians say is not especially unpopular to a good percentage of the population, it also is wildly unpopular with another sector of the populace, and to me that's bold for modern culture, particularly as a comedian whose survival depends on being popular.  And annoying people in power seems at least a little risky, and these four have never feared retribution from Republicans or the Republican Party, or at least didn't fear it enough to shut up about the things that grieve them.

It's not just political speech either.  I watched this video here and it's obvious to me from this video that John sees the absurdity of the Oscars.  And I watched a tiny bit of the Oscars, and I get the feeling that Jimmy Kimmel kind of sees the absurdity as well- these vastly wealthy people self-congratulating on stage over doing their jobs... it's not the most impressive aspect of our culture.  I mean, you know Stephen Colbert's heart is in the right place- anybody who has seen "The Colbert Report" knows that Stephen has been functioning as a prophet in the political arena for some time now.  

We need more people willing to speak truth to power.  We need more people who have sold themselves out for the cause of truth and righteousness.  It's true, I wish they were all Christians, but sometimes you take what you can get.  I for one am grateful for these "Prophets of Late Night."  I hope you can see their value, too.

Faith and Grumbling

I was reading the bible chapters for my devotional, at that moment through the book of Exodus, and something struck me that I felt I needed to share about.  It's the fact that no matter how many times the Lord provides for us, we still struggle with the next instance in which we need help.

It's funny... when you read Exodus you see a people struggling with faith.  They've seen God provide for them over and over, and yet the next time there's a need they grumble all over again, saying (in effect) "God, no matter how often you provide for me, I still think you've abandoned me now- I don't think you are trustworthy."  I want to criticize these people... I want to tell them "Come on!  You saw how God delivered you out of Egypt, and all the other minor deliverances God has done.  Why are you grumbling now?"  Now, to be fair, I wasn't a slave in Egypt watching God doing all those miracles... so I have more cause to be afraid than they did.  HOWEVER, I have seen God deliver me out of multiple situations.  So then... why am I so afraid of whether the next deliverance will come?

I think... it's normal to wonder about God's provision, and maybe even be a little fearful, as God tests you by making you wait.  Regardless of how hard it is though, I think IT'S CRUCIAL to remember all the times God got you out of a jam in the past, and to draw on that in your current circumstances.  We must be people of faith!  And I question the depth of your faith if God has never gotten you out of a jam... that is the hallmark of the Christian faith, that God can be trusted.  We must trust the living God and know that he has a plan for us, that he will deliver us in his timing and not our own.

Next time you are in a situation where you need God's help... try to remember how God delivered you in the past.  And if you can, grumble as little as possible.  I do think God can handle our honesty if we are angry at him, but telling God "I don't trust you" is not going to acquire favor from the Lord for you.  Believe!  And trust in God's timing.  For God has a plan... he'll take care of us... but in his timing, not ours.  We must learn to trust and not grumble that God won't help us or that we were better off back in bondage.  Let us trust the Lord in all things, and believe his promises.  Our God is great.  Let us trust him in all things.