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

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

   When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for.  Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task.  In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut.  It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why.  Ben became stuck on the glacier.  He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below.   That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice.  He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety.  Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Press The Button!

  Consider This:  Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy.  I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart.  These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult.  However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success.  He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer.  Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act.  You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer.  If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it.  Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...
Post a Comment
Read more