Skip to main content

Four Hopeful Words


             It would have been easy for God’s people to be upset with their circumstances.   The Babylonians had captured Jerusalem and deported most of its people to a strange land more than 500 miles from home.  Fortunately, God had not forgotten about them, so he sends his prophet Ezekiel with a message of consolation and hope.  One of the most encouraging parts of his message comes when he is given a vision of the new temple in Jerusalem.  The temple was of great importance to the Israelites, because it was the earthly dwelling place of God.  A rebuilt temple in a rebuilt Jerusalem was almost too much to hope for.

           Ezekiel’s description of what he saw goes from chapter forty all the way to chapter forty-eight and encompasses two hundred and six verses.  He describes, in great detail, the size of the temple and its courts.  He talks about the location of the rooms for the Priests and the Levites.  He tells them how they are to divide the land when they get home.  He talks about things like gates, walls, towers and altars.  Every last detail of his vision seems to be recorded in these eight chapters.

            One detail is better than the rest, though.  The last line of the entire book says, “And the name of the city from that time on will be: ‘The Lord is there’ (Ezekiel 48:35). 

            I don’t know about you, but to me, that is the best ending ever.  Every other detail in Ezekiel’s description pales in comparison to this one.  He could describe the most beautiful place (which he does), or the most rundown house and as long as “The Lord is there” is over it, then it would be ok.  That is the thing that makes it special and worthy of praise.

            I could not help but apply that same test to my life.  Lots of times I think that my life will be a success if I have certain things, or if I get to experience certain things.  What if the real test of my life is not “What do you have?” or “What have you done?” but rather “Is God in it?”

            At the end of time, that is going to be the big question.  When all this other stuff is left behind, all we will have is our relationship with God, his Son and his Spirit.  If that needs to be a priority at the end of time, then I need to make it a priority in my life now.

            “The Lord is there”.  Four of the most hopeful words that you will ever hear.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark and Light

            When you look out at the world, what do you see?             Some see nothing but trouble and pain.   They point to things like poverty, crime, problems with drugs and alcohol and marriage break-ups and say that the world is full of sadness and sorrow.   Watch the news for even a half hour and you will get the idea that the world is a dark place.             Others see nothing but good.   They appreciate generous people in their community.   They think about their friends and neighbours and smile.   They marvel at the beauty of sunrises and stars at night.   To them, the world is a bright and wonderful place.             You may be surprised that the Bible supports both of these world views.   On one hand it says things like, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the
1 comment
Read more

New Article: Five Words to Improve Your Relationships

                 In the late 1800s, it was common for railway companies to plant formal gardens beside their stations.   These gardens were filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and fruit trees.   Sometimes they also featured a kitchen garden growing lettuce, carrots, corn, and potatoes.   Estevan’s Canadian Pacific Railway Garden was once located where Mid-City Plumbing and Heating is today.                The purpose of these gardens was to show what the land could produce.   After hours and sometimes days of riding across the featureless prairies, the railways wanted to show settlers the potential of their new home.   The gardens showed what was possible and they encouraged the settlers to transform their own land and discover its potential too.                Today’s verse acts similarly, in that it challenges us to find the potential in
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgetting What Is Behind

                   Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.                  Here is my generalization:   It is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.   The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.   We remember and nurse old hurts.   We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls.   In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.   In these cases, we would be better off “forgett
Post a Comment
Read more