A call and a commission. Ezekiel witnessed great things–the hand of the Lord was upon him.
3 (The Lord gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians, and he felt the hand of the Lord take hold of him.) Ezekiel 1:3, NLT.
The Lord said,
3 “Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day. 4 They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ 5 And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a prophet among them.
6 “Son of man, do not fear them or their words. Don’t be afraid even though their threats surround you like nettles and briers and stinging scorpions. Do not be dismayed by their dark scowls, even though they are rebels. 7 You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won’t listen, for they are completely rebellious! 8 Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in their rebellion. Open your mouth, and eat what I give you.” Ezekiel 2:3-8, NLT. (emphasis mine)
I pay attention when the Lord speaks of words. While the vision Ezekiel saw eludes me, the Lord’s focus on words takes hold of me.
Do not fear them or their words.
The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. 3 “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. Ezekiel 3:1-3, NLT.
Open your mouth and eat what I give you–and it was words.
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1-5, NLT
John the Baptist received a call and a commission. He spoke of the Lord and prepared a way in the wilderness.
John and Ezekiel received a call to take their words and speak them–words that would either win hearts or not.
Words have power when spoken, and withheld.
God, help me to be a good steward of words. Fill me with your Word (life-changing, light, love). Help me to make my words ones that show I belong to you, and not this world. You know the importance words have in my life, down to even having a home mantra. May my words, my actions, my very life–may it all show I am yours.
Courtney (66books365)
Sixty-six books in a year 