Ezekiel 17- Impossible Completed

 

God specializes in the impossible and accomplishes His will against all odds.  He is not constrained by normal circumstances or outcomes, but by His will achieves His desired result.  God, help me to see Your path and walk in it willingly!

Ezekiel 16- Blessings Worshipped

 

This same thing is one of the most insidious manners in which Christian’s sin.  We take the blessings of God and credit them to our abilities and turn it into an idol…the idol takes over and we can reject God in search of more glory, more honor, more pleasure, more fame…

God allow my heart to be soft to you in humility and credit You wholly with all that you have blessed me.  Please strengthen my resolve to point to You in every victory and every blessing!

Ezekiel 15- Called to Faithfulness

 

God calls us to be faithful as we accomplish the work He called us to.  He wants us to understand that He alone is God and the only one worthy of molding our will toward.  Lord, help me to be malleable as I endeavor to be surrendered to You!

Ezekiel 14- Choosing Temptation

 

What an amazing description of how we knowingly submit ourselves to temptation when we are not walking by the Spirit.  If we are thinking of how we may flirt with the desires of our flesh, our fall is inevitable and fully rests on our shoulders.

Lord help me to flee from getting close to the line and run into your arms!

Ezekiel 13- knowing God

 

It is impossible to read this book and not see that God really wants us to know Him, worship Him and follow Him.  Lord, help me to do those things every day!!!

Ezekiel 12- Delayed Condemnation

 

God has shown patience to his people for decades, but His message in this chapter is that he is no longer waiting…the time to pay the piper has arrived.  Their sin will now be punished by God…with the intention of reminding His people that He is God.

Lord, help me to listen immediately and not need your punishment to see who You are and act like it.

Ezekiel 11- Transformed Heart

 

I love that unity is the first step in the process of transforming the heart from stone to flesh.  A signal that it was not just one heart that was solidly frozen to thawed…but actually completely replaces from one that is worthless to one that functions as it should.  Lord, I need my heart of flesh, keep me soft, pliable and sensitive to your impulses.

Ezekiel 10- Spirit Filled

 

Galatians 5 reminds us that if we walk by the Spirit we will automatically produce the fruit of the Spirit.  In the same way the Spirit of God fills us (the new temple) and pushed out all pride and selfishness leaving room for nothing impure.  Lord, fill me with your Spirit so that nothing unholy exists!

Ezekiel 9- Complete Obedience

 

Obedience to God always seems like such an easy straightforward task…which in reality it is!  But being surrendered to His plan enough to trust that it is best is the hard part.  We so often think that there is another way, one that will be less painful, less scary, less embarrassing…but that way always leads to more destruction.  Lord, help me to trust You only and reject my ways of foolishness!

Ezekiel 8- Building Provocation

 

This chapter sees the Lord pointing out the various ways that His people are bringing their idols into their lives and their worship…we get the impression that that are rejecting God and embracing other idols…even in His temple.  Lord, please help me to see my own idols and areas that I seek to be filled up other than You alone!

Ezekiel 7- Known God

 

Repeatedly the warning from God is that this disaster will come because of their rebellion, so that they will “know that I am the LORD”.  He wants us to know, and acknowledge Him as king of our lives and the world…it is such an easy concept, but our desire to do what we want is so strong, it is hard to do!  Lord, grand me the strength to put my own desires to death and follow you without a second thought!

Ezekiel 6- False Works

 

In a list of evil that Israel had done we see all the ways they worshiped false gods…The last thing listed in vs 6 is their works.  These were things that looked good but were in service of themselves, or idolatry altogether.  What of my works for God are self focused or in service of something else?!?  Lord, help me to see those clearly and lay them down!!!!

Ezekiel 5- Gods Will

 

So many times I want to assign punishment or trials as the removal of protection of God.  In other words, God doesn’t cause the bad, but sometimes allows it…it has been hard for me to read this section and continue with this idea…over and over God says that He will accomplish the destruction/punishment Himself…justly repaying the Israelites for their rebellion.  I am not sure how to weave this into the theology I believe…Lord give me wisdom and confidence in You alone!

Ezekiel 4- Gods Kindness

 

Ezekiel has been given some crazy task to act out this siege of Jerusalem and must eat defiled food, yet here God relaxes the requirements in an act of kindness.  What a bizarre scene, yet God is at work teaching the Israelites the importance of obedience.  Lord strengthen me to be obedient at every moment!

Ezekiel 3- Supernaturally Prepared

 

Every one of us is specifically created for the ministry that God has called us to.  Ezekiel was intentionally made to be hard headed and he has an unblinking face of stone …perfectly prepared to be a prophet to people who will refuse to listen.  What a blessing to know that God has prepared me to do the work he has called me to.

Lord, you have uniquely wired me to minister to people struggling and blessed me with a faith to trust even in the most challenging circumstances.  You have also specifically allowed me to struggle to keep me dependent on You!  Help me to live my life in a way that brings You glory!

Ezekiel 2- Insistent Pursuit

 

God pursues His people even when they rebel and seem like a lost cause.  What stands out to me here is that even the rebellious people will be impacted by His chase.  They will not be able to ignore His obvious engagement of them because He is good, powerful and accomplishes all that He sets out to do.  Lord, help me to see you instantly!  Help me to love You and be surrendered in every part of my heart and mind…

Ezekiel 1- Radiant Glory

 

This passage is crazy and depicts some really incredible vision that I don’t understand, but near the end we see that God is on his throne and is speaking to Ezekiel.  What a blessing that God speaks to us even out of the chaos of the unknown that we face.

Lamentations 5- Omniscient God

 

God sees and knows our suffering and trials, we are not alone even if we are the cause of our trial.  What a blessing to be unconditionally loved and cared for by the most powerful and most loving being.  We are blessed to know Him!!!

Lamentations 4- Finite Discipline

 

Although this disciple is extreme, it does not last forever.  God has a specific intention and once that is complete, it is over.  It is not forever and it does not change our identity…they were still called daughter.  Lord help me to stay submitted to You always so that I can enjoy your pleasure rather than needing to be punished.

Lamentations 3- Intentional Recall

 

It is so easy to focus on the present trial we are in…they loom so large, we can forget anything else exists.  But this passage reminds us that we need to pursue memories of Gods past faithfulness.  It is always worth the effort to be reminded of how God has come through in past time in my life or in the lives of friends.  God, You are so good and we have such bad memories…strengthen me to meditate on you faithfulness!

Lamentations 2- Comfort from Confession

 

Comfort and healing are borne through confession of sin and honesty.  What a counterintuitive path to healing.  We so often feel that our guilt and shame should be hidden and protected, but that perpetuates further sin.  Lord, help me always to expose my sin and failings so that I can be healed!

Lamentations 1- God Sees

 

Over and over in this chapter we have the author asking the Lord to see the pain & suffering…and we know that He does.  He is always with us and walks beside us through every trial and even our self inflicted suffering.

Jeremiah 52- Compassionate Care

 

Even after the Lord destroyed the kingdom because of their rebellion, God protects and provides for Jehoiachin.

Jeremiah 51- Personally Involved

 God is an active part of carrying out the trials that we face, yet it is for our good and His glory!

Jeremiah 50- Rest Bringer

 

Even in this passage about the destruction of Babylon, Gods stated goal is to bring rest to the earth.  Lord, allow my presence to bring peace to those around me because of Your impact on my life.

Jeremiah 49- Restored Enemies

 

God even restores the enemy of His people after discipline.  How gracious must He be to His own people?  Lord God, I know You are full of grace and mercy because  need them repeatedly every day!  How wonderful are your ways and your faithfulness unending!!!

Jeremiah 48- Failed Trust

 

There is only one thing that we can 100% rely on every moment, in every situation: the God of the Universe!  We often however depend on our achievements or wealth which, seems reliable, until it can’t save us from a cancer diagnosis or a spouse that has left us.  Those things are powerless to help us no matter how hard we worked to get them!  But God is able to stand up to anything, take us through every trial and personally be with us in the darkness.

Jeremiah 47- Inanimate Obedience

 

This chapter is short and it took me a few times through to see anything that was helpful…then it jumped off the page: even inanimate objects obey the Lord without fail!  Yet God gives us free will and most of us use it to reject Him.  How heartbreaking!  Lord, help me to see your commands as joyful and speed my heart and mind toward obedient surrender!!!

Jeremiah 46- Ever Present

 

Gods presence is constant, even when we cannot feel it.  Our response to any scenario can be fear if we think we are stuck alone…but we never have reason to fear if we are Gods children, because He never leaves us, or forsakes us.  Lord, help me to rest is You!!!

Jeremiah 45- Gods Plan

 

Lord, how many times have I pressed ahead trying to achieve what I wanted…help me to trust in You alone for direction and not try to force my own desires.

Jeremiah 44- Again & Again

 

God repeatedly gave His children opportunity to turn back to Him.  It is rarely just a single call, His patience is long lasting and thankfully so, because we need it.  Watching these people purposefully reject God call through Jeremiah is painful, but I am sure that is how my own life looks at times from Gods perspective.  Lord, help me to trust you and reject my own feelings…

Jeremiah 43- Rejected God

 

The people of Israel were so confident in their own plan that they rejected the very words of God.  How many times do I do this same thing?  Lord, help me to hear, understand and follow your words without question!

Jeremiah 42- Sought & Answered

 

We so often want to know directly from God what He wants us to do in a specific situation…that is what the Israelites wanted here so they got Jeremiah to ask for them.  After 10 days the Lord answered but it was not what they expected…

How we respond to Gods direction for us reveals our own hearts, do we want God or do we want to follow our own plans?  Lord, help me to follow You at every opportunity, strengthen my faith to trust you and obey your instruction!

Jeremiah 41- Rescued

 

God rescues His people from the tyrannical through whatever means He sees fit.  It is often not the way we would have chosen or that even seems wise, but He will do it at the perfect time!

Jeremiah 40- Protected Poor

 

Even as the people were taken away from their land, God provides for the poor and gives them property and work to do.he allows them the pride of cultivating property and working to gain wealth.  This is one more instance of God caring for the weak and marginalized…as He always does!

Jeremiah 39- Promises Kept

 

When the city fell God protected Jeremiah just as He promised…he was treated well and cared for even through the trial.  The trial did not stop, evaporate or transform into something beautiful…but God was there, protecting, caring and guiding him in the midst of it all!

Lord, thank you that you never leave us and promise to always care for us.  Help me to trust you more!!!

Jeremiah 38- Unlikely Ally

 

All of his own people hated what God had to say so much they wanted to kill him.  Jeremiah was sentenced to death by the mob, but God placed the Ethiopian near the king to save his life.  God is constantly watching out for us, even when everything looks hopeless…Lord help me to have faith to trust Your work in my life!!!

Jeremiah 37- God Provides

 

Even though Jeremiah was persecuted and in the midst of a trial, God still provided for him…

Sometimes we feel like the trial itself is evidence that God does not care, but it is always Gods intention for the trial to lead us to Him and to trust in His provision!

Jeremiah 36- Another Chance

 

It’s crazy to see that God is still giving his people a chance after rejecting him over and over again…

Jeremiah 35- Persistently Pursuing

 

It’s incredible that God continues to pursue His people as they reject Him over and over.  We are so easily swayed to do what we this is best.  God, help me to see through the lies of my inner lawyer to know, understand and obey your voice!!!

Jeremiah 34- No Take-backs

 

Obedience when God is watching, then disobedience the next minute is never a good idea…primarily because God does see everything we do, say or think.

Jeremiah 33- Healing Restoration

 

How incredible that God is not just willing to forgive and restore, but He sacrifices for us to make it possible.

Give thanks to the Lord! For the Lord is good! For His loving kindness is everlasting!

Jeremiah 32- Redemption Promised

 

God doesn’t have to remind the people of what the future holds, but He does because His goal is not punishment, but Restoration!

Jeremiah 31- Restoration Initiator

 

What a beautiful picture of God bringing peace, joy and blessing to the people who have just experienced discipline.  His intention with trials/discipline is not to destroy but rather to transform and draw us near.  Lord help me to always be looking toward Your ultimate plan rather than being so focused on the suffering of today.

Jeremiah 30- Relationship Restoration

 

God wants his people close and does everything with the intention of drawing His people to Himself.  Even discipline is designed to bring us closer to Him.  Lord, help me to make the decision to draw near to You so that discipline is not needed!

Jeremiah 29- Knowing God

 

This passage is so clear that the intention behind the discipline of God to to restore relationship.  He desires that we know Him, spend time with Him and follow Him intentionally.  Lord align my heart to you in every way!

Jeremiah 28- Protected People

 

The false prophet is telling the people what they want to hear is removed by God to protect the people from the lies.  God cares about truth and wants His people to deal with truth rather than lies that make us feel better.

Jeremiah 27- Listen to Whom?

 

We have thousands of voices that are constantly telling us what to do, what is right or wrong, what is good or bad, what is best for us.  This was no different for the people of Israel, the voices were dominated by false prophets, dreamers, sorcerers and soothsayers…and we have the same: social media, news, commercials etc. 

Lord, help me to elevate Your voice above all others, let me hear You, strengthen me to obey it, and reject all of the other influences that pull my attention. Let me live in absolute surrender!

Jeremiah 26- Just Repent

 

God is so patient with us…He is looking for us to turn to Him, reject our own selfishness and listen.  It seems so simple, yet actually doing it takes being surrendered.  That of course is the last thing we ever want to do, because surrender requires a continual putting to death our own desires empowered by the Spirit of God.  It is literally impossible without the Spirit…Lord strengthen me to follow You rather than my own desires…

Jeremiah 25- Numerous Chances

 

God’s patience is on display in this passage even though we are breaking in at the point where He to the final straw.  His people’s rejection of His warnings and instruction has been ignored and rejected for decades and He cares so much for their ultimate good, that He will send consequences that will be painful and traumatic.

Lord, help me to listen right away and not need decades of your patience.  Allow me to follow You at the first instruction.

Jeremiah 24- Heart Transformed

 

It is pretty amazing as God is sending out His people to exile because of their rejection of Him, His plan or to prosper some of them.  These plans seem to not be dependent on their actions, but fully reliant on Gods character.  Lord, continue to pull my heart toward yourself, allow me to stay surrendered in all things.