A GOOD QUESTION:
I hear this question from time to time...and I'm sure for every person who has expressed it, there are a few dozen who have not said anything, and just continued in the belief that they are the only one...
The question goes like this: "Why is it, that I can go to a prophetic forum/a conference/etc., and every single person in the room will receive a word...except me?"
I've come to grips with this one myself...but there are a lot of others out there who might benefit from the discussion?
I think this is a great question!
I think there can be several reasons. One, obviously, is that our faith really isn't open to receive a prophetic word from the Lord.
That is not always bad, as I believe there are times the Lord wants us to live by trust in His Written Word and what we know already. It takes time to chew and if we are growing in the Lord, we may not need another bite of His food at that moment; we might choke!
Sometimes I think it can even be a protection from the Lord. I used to covet words until I got so many I got confused and found they weren't always "of the Spirit." We prophesy according to faith and sometimes my faith was not where someone else's faith was.
I think when God really wants to get a word to us, He can, and will use His servants to do so, but if we want "words" to play with in our hearts or heads, and to challenge, then we may not get a word or worse, get a deceiving word. That becomes mixture which will produce death to our spirits.
God does not want us looking to prophets but to Him. When we get "good" words, we tend to want about 5,000 more, it just makes things seem so much easier, but we have to remember it's a gift and a tool to bring us closer to the LORD, not necessarily our personal desired destiny!
God knows our hearts better than we do and I have found that I often can hear Him better for myself (I learned this after running to meeting after meeting) if I would just posture myself to hear from Him, and have learned that words need to be weighed in this day where a "word" can come so easily. Not every word someone gives is one that can help and I have had words that have thrown me off.
I have gotten to where I don't judge the one who "missed it" so much, as (1) I could be wrong or not in proper faith for that word or (2) they could be doing the best they can for where they are in their faith. But there are a lot of words out there for "performance ministry" rather than Kingdom ministry.
A lot of people think prophets are born from the womb speaking only accurate words but I have not found that, even from the best of them and their testimonies.
And many who claim to only have only accurate words all the time are ones I frankly can't stand to be around because of their attitude. They often want to put others in condemnation or go into strife and that is not the fruit of the Spirit - which is how JESUS said to judge things. Or they will want the focus on them and not the Lord. We need to be careful, though, that we don't miss a corrective word for our good!
Consider why you want a word at a meeting. Examine your heart. Maybe God is saying to you that you haven't walked in all that He has given you already. Maybe the prophet just doesn't have a word for you - because God didn't release one!
Also, I find that if you use your Spiritual gifts FOR THE BODY as a servant ministry to the Body, you are more likely to get words. People who sit on their gifts and want to receive only often don't get words. They haven't sown into the Kingdom their God given talents!
When you are really working hard in the Kingdom with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, prophetic words will come as pleasant surprises. Or if they don't register, then you can dismiss it or put it on the shelf. Some words we don't want to receive, as they can get us off track!
Words will also come when we get God's ideas and plans on how His Kingdom should work. God moves by His Spirit and many claim His Spirit and people believe what they say is right, but what they say may not be HIS SPIRIT! It may sound good, and even be "good", but may have enough flesh in there to quench the real moving of His Spirit.
Pam