ezekiel 23-26

Today's passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%2023-26&version=NIV

Ezekiel’s life as a prophet hasn’t exactly been what you’d call easy, but he has been faithfully obedient to God’s calling. In chapter 24, God reveals the next part of his plan to Ezekiel.
"The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.” Ezekiel 24:15-17

So, not only is God going to take Ezekiel’s wife, the delight of his eyes, but Ezekiel can’t even mourn for her. He has to pretend that nothing has happened. Shove his emotions down into his soul and move on with none of the rituals and ceremonies that bring healing and comfort. Ouch. Ezekiel responded in verse 18 in complete obedience, "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."

I can’t help but imagine how I would have responded. “Surely there is another way? Please don’t take my wife, I’d be lost without her. How can you do this? Don’t you love me? This is so unfair!” I’m sure I’d run through the gamut of emotions such as grief, anger, pain, emptiness, denial, shock.

But the reality of it is that at some point, we all leave this earth. And before God lovingly created us, he knew exactly when that time would be. Some say that focusing on God’s sovereignty gets them through the grief of the loss of a loved one. In these times of anguish they focus on the cross. They focus on a God who loves us so much that he gave up his son to die on the cross to pay the price for our sins. They run to the refuge of his loving arms and rest in the knowledge that he has a plan for our lives on this earth – a plan that has a beginning, a middle and an end. But the best news is that the plan doesn’t end with our end here on this earth. He has a plan for an eternity with Him in heaven where there is no suffering, no pain, no grief. He has a plan and it’s a good plan.

God had built a faith in Ezekiel that allowed him to truly believe that God had a good plan. I pray that God continue building that faith in me. I'm 40 years old and I've never lost any one I would call the delight of my eyes. My grandparents have passed away, but they lived far away and I saw them once a year and although they were dear to me, they were distant and our relationship was not that close. I pray that when a time of grief comes my way that my faith will cause me to look to the cross for comfort. And that I will remain an obedient servant to the Lord who gives the gift of eternal life.

Today's post submitted by Kelly Coxe