I Wish I Had Hair Like My Brother's

Part of my daily Bible reading for the last several days has been in Ezekiel.  Honestly, this book has always been quite mysterious to me.  I hope someday soon to do a serious study of it to get a better grasp.  But in the meantime, as I read, I am pleased when God causes certain things to stand out. 

That happened on Saturday when I came to Ezekiel 8.  This is what God's Word says in verses 1-4.

1It came about in the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell on me there. 2Then I looked, and behold, a likeness as the appearance of a man; from His loins and downward there was the appearance of fire, and from His loins and upward the appearance of brightness, like the appearance of glowing metal. 3He stretched out the form of a hand and caught me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the idol of jealousy, which provokes to jealousy, was located. 4And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the appearance which I saw in the plain.

Did you see that in verse 3?  If I am reading it right, Ezekiel says that God grabbed him by his hair and dragged him to Jerusalem.  That sounds painful to say the least, but there was purpose in it- good purpose even.  Notice in verse 4 that when he gets to Jerusalem, he encounters the glory of God. 

In a way that is painful, God brings His prophet into His presence.

Now, I know that this was a vision and Ezekiel wasn't literally dragged by his hair.  I also know that this principle fits the biblical pattern that we are often uncomfortable with.  We want to see His glory while avoiding all pain.  Yet we know, from our own experience even, that many of our closest encounters with the Lord are accompanied by our greatest pain.

So, the question I have been wrestling with is this: If I want to see the Lord (and I do), then why do I try so hard to avoid all pain?  Worse yet, why do I so often assume that my pain is somehow an obstacle to an encounter with God rather than the vehicle by which He will draw me deeper into His presence?  Why do I so often say, "Lord, take it away" when I should be saying, "Lord, bring me to you?"

All of this reminds me of a song.  It's an old hymn that is hard to sing.  It's hard to sing not because of the music, but because of the truth it expresses.  Check it out here:

So, I wish I had hair like my brother's so that God can easily get hold of it to drag me into His presence. 

Can you think of some other biblical examples of this painful path into God's presence?
Can you think of some times in your own life when the path into His presence was painful?
Are you ready and willing to walk that painful path again?

Eat the Book, Savor its Sweetness, Speak its Message

I haven't done this in a while, so bear with me.

The following comes from a devotion I shared during my last meeting as a member of the Illinois Baptist State Association Board of Directors.  I have just finished my second of two three year terms.

I want to share a passage of Scripture with you today that came up in my daily Bible reading yesterday.  It is from Ezekiel chapter 3.  Now, every year I get a little anxious when I come to Ezekiel.  There is so much in that book that I do not understand, yet.  So, when I come to a portion that seems crystal clear, I am especially excited and encouraged.  It is one of those crystal clear passages that I want to share with you today.

1Then He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel." 2So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. 3He said to me, "Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you." Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.

4Then He said to me, "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.        -Ezekiel 3:1-4

Three things seem quite clear in this passage:

• Eat the Book.
• Savor its Sweetness.
• Speak its Message.

That sounds like a pretty good formula for ministry to me.  Eat the Book, Savor its Sweetness, Speak its Message.  Often, however, I find that at least one of those areas is lacking or lagging behind in my life.  I want us to consider what area(s) might be lacking in our lives together.

To be honest, right now I am struggling with Savoring its Sweetness.  It is easy for ministry to become very mechanical.  Eat the Book then Speak its Message...Day in and day out...Rinse and repeat.  This passage in Ezekiel has reminded me that I need to slow down and Savor the Sweetness every day.  I want to enjoy what God is revealing of Himself in His Word.  I want to delight in it so that I can say along with Ezekiel, "Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth."

As I look around our church I see people who struggle in different ways.  I see some who are regularly Eating the Book, and I believe they are Savoring its Sweetness, but they have no inclination to Speak its Message.  They are constantly being filled, but never pouring out.  That is not a good place to be.  I encourage you to look for and seize opportunities to Speak the Message as you go about your day.

Maybe the saddest thing I notice, however, is that there are many who seem to have no desire to Eat the Book at all.  Whatever excuse is given, they do not read, do not study, do not meditate, do not memorize God's Word with any regularity at all.  This is especially astonishing, given the fact that God has graciously provided us with unprecedented access to His Word.  Many of us have multiple translations of the Bible at our fingertips- downloaded onto our phones which are always at hand.  This is especially troublesome becuase we know that we have brothers and sisters scattered across the globe who are starving for the Book, but do not have access to it.  While they franticly search and even risk thier lives to get their hands on a portion of the Book that they can eat, we neglect and ignore the feast that is spread out before us.  Friends, it should not be this way.

So, this week, I hope you will give yourself to the process described in Ezekiel 3.  Eat the Book, Savor its Sweetness, and Speak its Message.