Today’s reading is Ezekiel 2:2-10.
God comes to Ezekiel in visions to deliver a message to the people of Israel who He says have rebelled and transgressed against Him (Ezekiel 2:3). He says they are impudent and stubborn as well in Ezekiel 2:3-4. God is never wrong, but we can clearly see in the Bible why God is correct through the many times Israel sees God’s miracles right in front of them and then they still complain or turn away from God shortly after. This happened time and time again. No matter what God did and provided…it was never enough. They definitely had short-term memory.
It is easy to be quick to judge the Israelites until I realize I’m not really that different from them. I grumble and complain if not out loud, in thought which God knows. I have all I could ever want and more to meet my physical needs, as well as a wonderful wife and 4 wonderful miracles from God in the room with me. Yet..I worry about unnecessary things and want more. I forget how God has provided in the past and will continue to do so in ways I could not ask for imagine (Ephesians 3:20). I forget that God tells me I will have challenges in the world, but to remember that He’s overcome the world and He works good through all of it (John 16:33, Romans 8:28). He has a plan and my story is a part of His bigger story. I forget that I’m a child of God and only what He says and thinks matters. And He loves me so much He sent His Son to die for me (John 3:16).
Today’s reading reminds me that many times God spoke through prophets and individuals to deliver a message to a group of people or person who needed it. We need to remember that God still does this today. He may speak to us when we need it through a friend, a mentor, a family member, something someone says in a small group setting, or a pastor through a sermon. The question is…am I listening and receiving it? Also..am I around Godly people and in settings where God can speak to me such as a good church and small group? If I am attending church but don’t feel God is speaking to me through it, is it because my heart is hardened and I’m not open to His message or do I need to find a different church that will help me connect with God better and develop a relationship with Jesus?
Some believe the significance of Ezekiel being handed a scroll in Ezekiel 2:9-10 was to signify that God also speaks to us through His written Word and also that the significance of words being on the front and the back of the scroll was to imply nothing can be added to it. It is complete. The question I must ask here is…am I reading God’s Word so that He can speak to me through it? Invariably when I’m in the Word in the morning I hear a message which I needed to that day based on something that’s been going on in my life. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Hebrews 4:12 says the Word is living and active and is able to judge our thoughts and intentions. Simply put..God knows what we need and speaks to us through it.
Lastly, sometimes God has us as the messenger to speak to someone to impact them. Are you the messenger for someone right or is God tugging on your heart to tell you that you should be? God tells Ezekiel to speak whether they refuse to hear or not in Ezekiel 2:5. We can’t control the outcomes when we speak God’s Word and message into someone’s life. They may not be ready to change their ways today, but your message may still be impacting their thoughts which they aren’t sharing…. or they may come back to it in the future. Keep fighting the good fight which is to share the Gospel.
My prayer today is that we may be open to both receiving and sharing God’s Word and that we read the Bible and surround ourselves with people and a church who will help speak God’s truth in our life in a way that resonates with us and helps us develop a relationship with Jesus.
