Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well 1 Timothy 1.18 (TNIV)
Any serious comic book collector could tell you that the world’s most expensive comic is DC’s Action Comics #1, released in 1938. Written by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by Joe Shuster, this book contained the first 12-page glimpse of the now iconic superhero – Superman. Originally sold in newsstands for a mere 10 cents, in today’s market a near mint copy of this comic is valued at $700,000 USD.
As a child I can remember my weekly trips to the local newsagent to pick up my copy of Superman’s latest adventure. There were many a times spent with the flashlight under the covers reading late into the night. As the years went by my collection continued to grow and expand, taking in other comic titles as well. For Father’s Day a few years ago my family bought me a software package which catalogued comics. To my amazement I have well over 1000 comics!
There have been times over the years where I have been tempted to sell my comics but each time I come close, I get cold feet and decide that I can’t part with them. So now my collection sits gathering dust in plastic sleeves in cardboard boxes. Every now and again, I’ll pull them out, have a look through and reminisce about simpler times and recall childhood memories.
If we are not careful we can end up doing the same thing with prophetic words. We become collectors. God speaks to us through His Word or directly through someone else. As exciting as that is at the time, eventually it ends up forgotten, maybe stored in a journal, sitting on a book shelf somewhere, gathering dust.
But Paul is reminding Timothy that prophetic words serve more than just giving you a momentary buzz, they actually are meant to help us fight our present battles.
Prophetic words remind us that God has a plan for our lives, that He hasn’t finished with us. Maybe some of the difficulties we are facing right now are because we have forgotten what God has said and we have allowed the circumstances of life to cause us to settle for a life we were never meant to have lived.
But God is greater! Dust off those prophetic words. Reread God’s Word for my life. And allow Him to reignite the dreams and passion in our heart that once burned strong and to help us to stand and fight today’s battle well.
Who knows, the answers for today’s problems may be found in your attic!
