READING: Ezekiel 1-2, Hebrews 11:1-19
“The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest.”
Ezekiel 1:3
His calling was dramatic. Indeed, just these words give me pause: “the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God” (Ezek. 1:1). And then I read, “the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest,” followed by “there the hand of the Lord was upon him” (Ezek. 1:3). The visions he saw included a windstorm, clouds with flashing lightning, four living creatures with four faces and four wings, wheels moving beside the creatures, and a human form revealed in fire and light. This was, Ezekiel said, “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord,” and all he could do was fall facedown (Ezek. 1:28). God’s glory so long associated with the temple was thus also evident in the land of Babylon.
The Spirit of God filled Ezekiel and helped him to understand God’s word to him – words he was to speak to God’s people “whether they listen or fail to listen” (Ezek. 2:7). In their rebellion they were like stinging scorpions to Ezekiel, but the prophet was still to speak truth to them without fear. His responsibility was to obey God fully even though his message would at first be one of “lamentations, mourning, and woe” (Ezek. 2:10).
Here’s what fascinates me today: the same God who called Ezekiel is the God who called me to His work. My calling was hardly as vivid and intense as Ezekiel’s was in his day, nor can I pretend to have had the visions of divine glory Ezekiel had. My context is certainly different, as I’m not a prophet to God’s rebellious and exiled people. What I can say, though, is that the God of the Bible—that is, Ezekiel’s God—somehow caught my attention and clarified my calling to preach His Word. So clear was that calling to me that I have never shaken it for more than forty years.
This God called me. I am humbled.
ACTION STEPS:
- Thank God for His power.
- Thank God that He is all-powerful, but He still communicates with us.
PRAYER: “God, help me to be obedient to Your calling on my life regardless of whether others listen.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Ezekiel 3-4, Hebrews 11:20-40
