Ezekiel chapter 24 verses 15 – 18 ( NIV)
The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.” So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Over the last few days, the verses studied have been encouraging us to serve God with total obedience. Today’s verses expand on this even further.
Ezekiel had to do as God told him to, even in the most difficult of circumstances. He had to go against the conventions of the time. He surely had to exercise faith that in these difficult circumstances God would give him the strength to do as he was told. And indeed we read that the next morning he did as he was commanded.
What does this mean for us? Two things spring to mind. We should not use the circumstances we find ourselves in, however difficult, as an excuse not to do as God asks.
In our obedience, however, surely the Lord will give us the strength we need to do as He asks, and we will not be alone as we do so.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for the lesson that we learn from Ezekiel’s obedience, but thank You also that we don’t need to face such difficult times in our own strength. Amen.