READING: Ezekiel 34:1-36:38
It’s just what the Lord does. He brings judgment in His righteousness, but He also rebuilds what was demolished and replants what was desolate (Ezek 36:36). He promised to restore His people according to His own terms not because they were worthy, but because He wanted to honor His name. God would bring His people back, renew them, and give them a new heart – all the while magnifying His power, His grace, and His commitment to His promises. So one writer says about this restoration: “To the surrounding nations Israel will become an object lesson of God’s grace. They will be forced to acknowledge God’s sovereign power in restoring His people.”*
I am so grateful that God is still a God who restores and renews. He restores fallen sinners. And broken marriages. And fighting churches. And fleeing disciples. And repentant persecutors. And wounded pastors. And weary professors. And lonely missionaries. And doubting Thomases. And rebellious followers. And blasphemous idolaters. I could continue writing this list, but I trust you find yourself at some point among this number (as I do). God still gives new hearts and restores people for the glory of His name.
May a non-believing world see His grace in that commitment. Amen.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Do you see yourself as an “object lesson of God’s grace”?
DAILY PRAYER: “Father, Your faithfulness to us is beyond our comprehension. To You be all the glory.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Ezekiel 37:1-39:29, Ezekiel 32:1-16
* Dyer, C. H. (1985). Ezekiel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1298). Victor Books.
