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Dear Heavenly Father, Praise When Ezekiel saw you high and lifted up on your throne, he fell on his face in awe and worship. Only the words of the seraphim seem worthy of such a sight: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isa 6:3). I praise you today and exalt your name! Today in Your Word Today you told me how you called Ezekiel to be your prophet to the exiles in Babylon. You wanted Ezekiel to: (1) help the exiles understand why they had been taken captive, (2) dispel any false hope that their captivity was going to be short, (3) call them to repent and return to covenant faithfulness, and (4) bring a message of hope to those who were loyal to you. Ezekiel’s prophetic call was amazing. You came to him in a vision, and he saw your throne resting on its wheeled platform. On the throne was a figure like that of a man and the body had the appearance of glowing, fiery metal. It was “the likeness of the glory of the Lord” (Ezek 1:28). You revealed yourself to Ezekiel in this spectacular way because you wanted to instill in him a renewed sense of who you truly are. This understanding drove Ezekiel’s ministry. It enabled him to proclaim your message with fervor and to show the exiled Jews who it was that they had rejected. You warned Ezekiel from the beginning that you were sending him to a “rebellious house,” but whether they listened or not, they would know that a prophet had been among them. This teaches me that my responsibility is to obey and leave the results in your hands. You gave him a scroll to eat which was filled with the words he needed to speak, and your spirit guided him to the Jewish settlement by the Chebar River. He sat there in silence for seven days, the length of time for mourning the dead, and then you appointed him as Israel’s watchman. His job was to warn the people, and he would be held accountable if he failed in this task. Reflection Ezekiel 3:20 is a sobering verse: “Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand.” Request Father, give me the courage to speak the truth. May I always obey the prompting of your Spirit when He calls me to witness to others. Thanksgiving Thank you for giving me, through Ezekiel, a vision of your glory! Truly, you are great and greatly to be praised! In Jesus’ name, Amen. Suggested Hymn: “Lo! God is Here!” — John Wesley. Meditation Verse: Ezekiel 3:11. |