Soul of a Prophet: A Trialog
“But the house of Israel will not listen to you…” —Ezekiel 3.7.
“Well, how exciting. How delightful. Here’s
a formula for sheer disaster if
there ever was one. I’m afraid I have
a bad, bad feeling about all of this.”
“I think your fears are premature. But I
can understand your disappointment and
distress. Perhaps, though, if we think this through,
we might yet find a way to make it work?”
“Don’t be so condescending. Let’s recall
the facts here: We’re to spend the rest of our
productive years proclaiming that the LORD
has had it up to here with these profane,
corrupt, and godless people—people who
expect to hear from such as we sweet words
of reassurance, hope, and courage. And
instead, we get to tweak their noses and
throw dust into the air and, in the main,
make ourselves odious to them. And they,
for their part, won’t hear anything we say.
Instead, their hearts will become harder still,
they will resent our preaching and reject
our warnings, while we keep on keeping on
a tack that cannot have a happy end.”
“I think that is the essence of it, yes.”
“Well, it’s a waste of time and passion. I
can’t see me being satisfied with this
for very long. I feel as if we ought
to dedicate the years remaining to
accomplishing some lasting legacy,
you know? Instead, we get to preach and write
and dabble in the arts and make ourselves
a spectacle before the world. And not
a soul will care or take us seriously.”
“So, what you’d like is some assurance that
the people will appreciate our work
and say nice things about us, treat us like
the big-boy theologians and buy all
our books. Man, you can be so immature
and utterly irrational at times!
Our situation’s not about the way
we feel, but that we understand what God
is calling us to do, and carry out
His plan. We need to think this through, not vent
our worst affections at this hopeless cause.”
“May I remind you both that it will not
advance our cause to lose sight of our role
in this vocation, which is, simply put,
to motivate the body to the work
and keep it moving in God’s perfect will.”
“Ah, conscience speaks! And I expect as much
from you. Well, you’re consistent anyway,
and not a little irritating, too.”
“I gather that you don’t feel anything?
Not now or ever? What a perfect bore.”
“It’s not my place to feel or think, but to
remind, recall, evaluate, confer,
and then insist we stay the course with what
we all know well and true. And to suggest,
when needed, that complaints and arguments
among ourselves will not facilitate
our efforts to attain an outcome which
lines up with what we all agree to be
complete fulfillment of the will of God.
Moreover, my responsibility
is to enable us to reach a course
of action that we’ll all embrace, and to
pursuing it with all the strength of all
our best affections and according to
such thinking as lines up with God’s own Word.”
“Ouch. Sorry, friends. I let my feelings get
the best of me there for a little while.”
“And I, unsympathetic as I am
at times, was wrong to bash you with a fit
of raw, unfeeling rationality.”
“But where do we come in at times like this?”
“Yeah, what are we supposed to feel or think?”
“It’s clear the nature of the calling has
sunk in with both of you. The prophet’s mind
is working hard to process what this means
and how we should prepare; meanwhile, his heart
has summoned strong affections for review
and readiness. Well done, the both of you.
Now, to consult our settled values and
priorities—the Law of God and all
His Word—will help us get our thoughts
and plans and our affections all
in order for the days ahead. Once that
is done, we’ll act as one devoted soul
to move the prophet into action for
the long haul. So, whatsay we get to work?”
“I feel like you have worked this out already?”
“I think your feeling is correct, my friend.”
“Of course. That’s why we have a conscience. So,
it’s settled. We embrace the calling, pour
ourselves into it with our best thoughts, pure
affections, and sound judgment, and we leave
the consequences to the LORD. Who knows?
This generation surely will condemn
us, but it might please God to keep for all
the generations yet to come some small
and worthy token of our efforts to
enrich their own attempts at serving Him.”
“You’re right, as I conclude. So, count me in.”
“I feel that this is best for all of us.”
“Ah, one again! United in the fear
and love of God and ready for the work.
So let’s inform the body to begin
the movements that this sacred call requires.”
Poet’s Note: In Scripture and Christian thought, the soul is a tripartite spiritual entity. It is thus a reflection or “shadow” (John Davies) of the Trinitarian God. In the soul, the heart engages the affections, the mind governs rational thought, and the conscience holds the default values and priorities. This is all analogical, of course, because the soul is, like the Triune God, one spiritual entity in three manifestations. In this “trialog” I have tried to assign each “speaker” aspects of its function in the soul to indicate which part of the soul is speaking.
T. M. Moore is Principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife and editor, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
