As Paul says beautifully in Corinthians, when we catch prophecy, or more properly, when we are caught up in the prophetic stream of the Holy Spirit, we do not all become speaking prophets, and that’s good, for otherwise our meetings might become as noisy as the Corinthian Church. However, we can all expect to be prophets in the sense of being very close to the Divine and thus we become prophets in sensitivity to the law of the New Age, the New Covenant; therefore we become prophets in the way we live our lives, just as John Woolman altered his clothing, his food, and even the way he travelled because of his prophetic sensitivity. We become prophets in the way we spend our money, in the causes we support, and even where we work and where we live.

We generally think of prophets as dramatic and conspicuous people; not only are they sometimes martyred, they occasionally sit on facing benches, make speeches, get arrested, and are generally in the limelight. We need those conspicuous and bold prophets, and from time to time, even the most unassuming Quaker must take such a stand. However, the Society of Friends would soon die out if we could not depend on the silent and inconspicuous prophets who are necessary for each gathered meeting, for if they do not stay faithfully in that living center, how can others “catch” the spirit which leads us and holds us together? Robert Barclay described this beautifully three centuries ago when he told how the secret, silent, inconspicuous prayer and silent ministry of just one person could lift and center an entire meeting. I know that my own ability to speak or minister in a meeting has often depended on the faithfulness of a few focused, silent prophets. A truly gathered meeting is a band of prophets – silent prophets resting quietly in the prophetic stream so that others who come can catch the spirit in that gathered meeting.

–William Taber in Pendle Hill Pamphlet 256: The Prophetic Stream