What If the Prophet Wants to Quit?

Have you ever been so fed up with a job that you contemplated leaving and never coming back? Most people in the United States work under what is called "at-will employment," meaning you can quit for any reason or no reason at all. Likewise, your employer can terminate you for any or no reason at all, as long as they do not violate your federally protected civil rights. However, the kingdom of God does not operate on an at-will basis. Yes, you have free will and you choose to accept the gift of salvation, but once you have entered the kingdom, there is an expectation that you will do the work of the ministry, as Ephesians 4:11-13 describes.

The Bible says that our gifts and callings are irrevocable (Romans 11:29, NKJV), which means that even if you do not use them, they remain present within you. Whether you operate them or not, you still possess them because they are woven into the fabric of who you are. So what if you really want to quit being a prophet? The answer is somewhat complicated. You can quit fulfilling the actions of being a prophet by refusing to function in that role, however, you can never quit being who you are. Think of it this way, you might own a car and have a license, but you can still refuse to drive. That refusal does not change the fact that you own the car and possess the license. God will never force Himself on you or override your free will, but that does not mean you are released from the identity He created you to carry.

We see an example of this in Jeremiah 20:9. Jeremiah had what Scripture highlights as an “unpopular ministry”. Throughout chapter 20, you will read Jeremiah's complaints to God about being mocked and how his prophetic calling had made him a source of reproach and derision among the people. Jeremiah said that even when he decides he will not speak again, the word becomes like fire shut up in his bones, and he grows weary trying to hold it back. The word used for weary is laah, which means exhausted or fed up. The challenges of the prophetic life weighed so heavily on Jeremiah that it caused him to try to quit being a prophet, but even in his attempt to quit, the fire from the word stirred within him to be released. It exhausted him not to release what the Lord had given him to speak.

Weariness is common in prophetic ministry, and it often comes from several sources. Prophets face emotional, spiritual, and physical exhaustion that most people cannot see or understand. They often feel misunderstood, isolated, or unseen by those around them. Perhaps most difficult of all, many prophets labor in ministry without visible fruit or affirmation for long seasons, which can make the calling feel impossibly heavy.

When Elijah reached his breaking point in 1 Kings 19, wanting to give up and even die under a broom tree, God did not rebuke him. Instead, God reassured him in his walk as a prophet. God sent an angel to provide food and rest, spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper, and reminded him that he was not alone. This shows that God understands that the prophetic burden can be overwhelming, and He makes provision for those who carry it.

Those moments when we want to quit often expose areas in our hearts and ministries that need renewal and refreshing. The breaking points will test our motives and our dependence on God, but the heart of our purpose is revealed when we keep showing up despite wanting to quit.

If you are a prophet who wants to quit today, understand that God still knows where to find you. Rest when you need to, but remember who you are; you may refuse the work, but you cannot quit being who God created you to be.

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