Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Ezekiel 29:17 -- On Anticipating the Word of the Lord

"And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,"
Ezekiel 29:17


So, this verse by itself makes you wonder what is going to come next, doesn't it?  It kind of leaves us hanging, waiting for the message or the punch line.  So, I'll tell you... it is a prophecy about Babylon overthrowing Egypt.  There is some interesting stuff there, but that isn't really what struck me about this today... it was the anticipation of what the word of the Lord was going to say, and the thought that the word of the Lord doesn't just come to us without some preparation.

If we're looking for a New Year's resolution, a really good one for anyone is to read the scriptures.  That's *how* the word of the Lord comes to us.  That's how we listen to God, and a large part of staying in touch with him (prayer is also awesome and essential in that regard).  And communication with God is how we are prepared for things that are going to come, and how we learn to have patience and hope and faith through the things that we are going through at any moment of our lives.

Every day should feel like this verse does... like a new beginning, anticipatory, waiting on what the Lord is going to tell us.  And it can totally be that way if we keep our side of the communication channel open and don't let it descend into static.

Today, let's be ready for communication from the Lord.  Let's pray our hearts out, and let's resolve now to read the scriptures every single day.  It doesn't have to be a lot really.  What it has to be is sincere and consistent, so that we're ready to listen and to hear what the Lord has to say to us.  Revelation for the whole world only comes through the prophet, but revelation for each of us individually *comes* to each of us individually if we stay ready and willing to communicate with God.

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