A Good Reminder for 9-11

After writing this devotional this morning I looked at the date and was reminded what day it is. Hence the title.

READ Ezekiel 25-26

As we read Ezekiel’s prophecies against the nations surrounding Israel (Ammon, Moab, Seir, Edom, Philistia, Tyre), we can’t help realizing the awfulness of the judgment of God. And that is as it should be. We should recoil at the idea of being judged by a holy God and found wanting. That is one of the reasons that we are a gospel people. We don’t want to see people fall under God’s eternal judgment.

But there is a more positive side to what we see in these two chapters also. This particular aspect is one of the greatest most reassuring truths of all of Scripture. We see it from the very first verses of the Bible to the very last verses. Over and over again it resounds aloud like a whistle from an oncoming train alerting us to its presence. What is that truth? God is sovereign over all things. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. In him all things hold together. Without him nothing would exist.

And within his sovereignty is his divine purpose that is carried out by him at all times in perfect measure. Here we see it in the fact that God is not only Lord over Israel but also of all the nations around Israel. He controls their fates. He raises them up or tears them down according to his will and purpose.

So today as you see the nations in turmoil do not be dismayed and hopeless. God is still in charge. Oh, we may not be able to see what he is doing from our infinitely limited perspective. But we have the testimony of Scripture that lets us know his work throughout all of history. We can be sure that he is carrying out his plan. And ultimately in the outworking of his plan, as he says over and over in these two chapters, “Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Prayer: Father, today I am so thankful for your sovereignty. I don’t see the end from the beginning as you do. My view is so limited. So I thank you for your Word that gives me the long view both backward and forward. I can rest in your holy sovereignty and trust that you will bring about your purpose and will in all things — even my one little life.