The Minor Prophets: A Faith Journey

The stories of the Minor Prophets in the Bible have led me to dig deeper in my heart and soul to grow my faith relationship with God and in God.

The Twelve Minor Prophets, whom I so fondly call some of God’s “mighty heroes,” are tucked away in books at the end of the Old Testament, often overlooked by many. I had never read much of the Minor Prophets outside of the book of Amos or the Bible teachings about the story of Jonah and a few other brief Bible study references.

Yet, as I read and studied each of these richly filled books of wisdom, grit and faith, I found myself at peace, my understanding of God’s knowledge and His loving ways growing deeper. This amazing faith journey of the Minor Prophets has enhanced my life by growing my faith in God, confirming that He is The Almighty God of justice, hope and love forever.

Reading through these stories is like watching a great cinematic drama series with sci-fi-like twists that leaves us on the edge of our seats, waiting to see the light (or hope) at the end of the tunnel. And although these stories are set hundreds of years ago, I often found myself thinking, “Wow, it feels like I'm reading today’s news headlines!”

Many of the Prophets were ordinary people of their time and, to me, each Prophet demonstrates the true characteristics of faithful trust in God—which is no different than the way in which God is calling upon us, as believers, today. Each Prophet stood strong in his faith and trusted in God’s word, to share the way of hope— against all odds. They chose not to fall into the ways and follies of the world but to stand as statues of God’s truth.

Often, during my reading of The Twelve, I found my journey leading me to the New Testament to recite Bible verses etched on my heart that would grow my faith and understanding.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2 (NIV)

So often when reading through the stories, we see how God was pointing them, as he points us now, to the future, or the day of the Lord.

As author Brian Simmons writes in the intro of the Passion Translation of the Minor Prophets:

In the sub theme of covenant phenomenon (and anywhere it is mentioned in the Twelve) there is indisputable association with the covenant. The motif is characterized by the twin phenomenon of blessing and judgement. In every instance, the complexity of the day of Yahweh, the day of the Lord, is evident, for the manifestations of divine blessings and judgements are applied to both the people of God and the nations. It is a day to be feared since God will pour out eternal judgement on those who scorned and rejected Yahweh and his covenant. It should also be a day we should eagerly long for since we will fully realize all the promises of redemption and restoration from the totality of Scripture: Yahweh will pour out blessings on His people who heeded His covenant and established His reign of perfect justice once and for all on the new heaven and new earth.

As we walk through the stories of The Twelve, they all point to the coming of the Messiah, the New Covenant which is the ultimate hope and everlasting love for us, as believers, today and tomorrow.

“But that’s not all! Even in times of trouble we have a joyful confidence, knowing that our pressures will develop in us patient endurance. And patient endurance will refine our character, and proven character leads us back to hope. And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!” Romans 5:3-5 (TPT)

Through this journey, I found myself being reminded often of God’s unfailing love for His people, His patience, grace and promises. Time and again, this gave my heart peace to know that we have hope and confidence in God’s word, as it says in Hebrews 6:13-20 (TPT):

“Now when God made a promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater than himself, he swore an oath on his own integrity to keep the promise as sure as God exists! So he said, “Have no doubt, I promise to bless you over and over, and give you a son and multiply you without measure!”So Abraham waited patiently in faith and succeeded in seeing the promise fulfilled. It is very common for people to swear an oath by something greater than themselves, for the oath will confirm their statements and end all dispute. So in the same way, God wanted to end all doubt and confirm it even more forcefully to those who would inherit his promises. His purpose was unchangeable, so God added his vow to the promise. So it is impossible for God to lie for we know that his promise and his vow will never change! And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time—an unshakable hope! We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold, and where Jesus, our forerunner, has gone before us. He is now and forever our royal Priest like Melchizedek.”

The hope we read about is penned by Paul in Romans and penned on the pages of Hebrews. It is the true hope we find in our life with Jesus Christ, as believers. We also read about this hope through the voices of the mighty Twelve Minor Prophets as they recount incredible stories of challenge, loss, deceit, pride, falsity and more and yet point to the Cross as the New Covenant of everlasting hope. As it says in John 3:16 (TPT):

For here is the way God loved the world—he gave his only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life.

And yet, there is even more in store for us as we wait anxiously for the return, the coming of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” – John 14:3