Reading for today
Old Testament: Ezekiel 39, 40, 41, 42
Thoughts from today’s reading
Ezekiel 40:1-5. The Lord had allowed the Israelites to be carried away captive into Babylon and other nations, He had pronounced judgement on them, and the armies that invaded Jerusalem destroyed the temple and burnt it with fire. In the midst of the fall of Israel, God is giving the prophet Ezekiel, in great detail, the dimension of a city and temple which will be rebuilt in Jerusalem.
The Lord is a gracious God, and even in the midst of judgement, He still shows mercy and makes provisions for His people to have another chance. Adam and Eve sinned, and while God was judging them, he also promised a saviour who would redeem them from the deception that made them fall.
Prayer
1. Heavenly Father, thank you that you remind us again and again that you are a gracious God and that the future plans you have for us are always of good and not evil, to give us a future and hope. Even when you chastise us, Lord, you still show us a picture of the future where you have prepared something better for us. Like the Psalmist prayed, we also can declare that though we walk in the valley of the shadow on death, we shall fear no evil because you are with us. We can also declare like the prophet, that though we walk in the midst of trouble, you will revive us. Thank you Father for being a gracious and merciful God, now, and always.