“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” 1 Peter 2:9
I was in a small town in the northern area of
Myanmar (Burma)… sound asleep. The coolness of the ceiling fan was above me and a spongy mattress below. Cock-a-doodle-doo! Three o’clock in the morning. I was awakened by the insistent crowing of a rooster and his cocky friends.
It is typically thought that roosters are supposed to wait through the night before commencing with their daybreak serenade. It was not so with this fellow. He was already anticipating the breaking of day several hours ahead of schedule.
He repeatedly clucked and cried his way through the darkness at the top of his voice. His solo was persistent and unrelenting. Although unwanted, he didn’t seem to be bothered by his poor timing. Then to my surprise, I heard an echo. Another rooster, several homes away, began to repeat his message. After him, another, and still another. The number of these cocky prophets were now four in total. Their message was spreading. Regardless of the appropriateness or inappropriateness of the hour, they were making their message known. “Cock-a-doodle-doooo!!!,” cried the first, and all of his friends would copy in sequence. I could hear them, one after the other. Each subsequent warning becoming increasingly distant. I could only hear four but it is impossible to know how far the message traveled. It is conceivable that the sound could have traveled throughout the entire Burmese community and beyond.
This rooster was a wonderful evangelist! He stood fast in the darkness, declaring his message to sleeping ears all around. Regardless of the response, his hoarse voice persisted. “Daybreak is coming,” he seemed to warn. “The hour when everything now in darkness will be revealed by the light; it is coming! Wake up. Get ready!”
He was echoed by his friends and the message was carried far and wide. The feathered foretellers were bent on waking the people from their sleep. They were certain that the sun existed and would soon reveal itself. Their objective was to wake the people before the light came. Otherwise they would be caught off guard. The people would be surprised by the light… and then it would be too late. They had to be successful.
The crowing momentarily stopped as soon as I turned on the light in my room to write this piece. Maybe that is all my local prophet (the rooster) was waiting for; to see the light turned on. Only then was he satisfied with the effectiveness of his message. But then, not being satisfied with one light, he and his friends quickly continued, attempting to bring light to others.
They were prophets crying out through the darkness and their message threatened to wake the entire town.
After some more crowing, I noticed that the friends of my rooster (next door) stopped repeating the message. Perhaps they became tired of repeating themselves. But my prophet would not allow anyone to have rest. He continued, wanting to make certain that his family and myself would be awake at the break of day. I was. He had been successful.
The children of God are filled with the dawn of eternity. For them, the day has already arrived. Alone or with friends, the message of the gospel is their responsibility to declare. The hour does not matter. The message was made to be proclaimed in the darkness. That is where light belongs. That is where the message of Jesus Christ must be declared.
Jesus is alive. He will return. Everything will be revealed at that time. Now is the time to preach the gospel. Don’t wait until morning.
His children are His witnesses. A witness is never silent.
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