READING: Lamentations 4-5, Ezekiel 1-4
The day I became a Christ-follower, the Lord called me to proclaim His Word. I can’t explain how I heard it, but I know what I heard in my head: “I want you to preach My Word.” For a 13-year-old in church for the first time in his life, this “calling” (a term I did not know at the time) was surprising and halting. I didn’t even fully know what “preach My Word” meant, but I would soon learn that God uses people as his spokespersons.
In today’s reading in Ezekiel, God called the prophet to internalize the Word and go proclaim it, regardless of whether the people listened. He was to speak God’s message to the house of Israel even if they refused to pay attention. “This is what the Lord says” is what mattered most.
Today, I’m reminded that this is my responsibility, too. The older I get, in fact, the more loudly I hear the simplicity of this calling: “Listen carefully. Take My words to heart. Go. Proclaim My message. Proclaim it even if they don’t listen. And don’t be afraid.” May God help me—and you—fulfill our calling whatever it means, wherever it leads, and whatever it costs.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Do you ever let fear capture your heart?
PRAYER: “Lord, help me to speak only Your Word.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Ezekiel 5-9