For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:14 NRSV.

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies. Psalm 103:1-4 NKJV.

I can’t help but compare what is happening in our chapter today, Ezekiel 11, with what is going on in our world today. And trusting in Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, helps me see the hope and assurance I need to follow Him and trust all things to His care and wisdom. Because bad things happened then and bad things are happening today and He is still Sovereign and working in all the times of us. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord that faces east. There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked advice in this city. They say, ‘Haven’t our houses been recently built? This city is a pot, and we are the meat in it.’ Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy son of man.” Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and He told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: That is what you are saying, you leaders of Israel, but I know what is going through your mind. You have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead. Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot, but I will drive you out of it. You fear the sword, and the sword is what I will bring against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will drive you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners and inflict punishment on you. You will fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord. This city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord, for you have not followed My decrees or kept My laws, but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.” Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?” v. 1-13. They thought they were safe because of the temple of God and because of Jerusalem. But they were not with God. The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession.’ Therefore say: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” v. 14-16. What will it take? What will it always take that is needed? “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’ They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws. They will be My people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.” v. 17-21. And then the cherubim and the glory of the God of Israel left the city and stopped above the mountain east of it. In the notes below: “11:23 God’s glory left Jerusalem and stood above a mountain on the east side of the city – almost certainly the Mount of Olives. Ezekiel 43:1-4 implies that God will return the same way He left when He comes back to earth to set up His perfect kingdom.”

Last night in our Home Group, we talked about the age of the flesh and the age of the Spirit. And I noticed this beautiful portion of a verse as we were reading Galatians…The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Galatians 5:6. And this morning before my coffee was even finished being made, my heart went right to criticisms and judging because of everything going on in this broken world of ours. Holy Spirit helped me see. Criticisms, judging and condemning help keep me bound in worries and fears. There is a better way. I turned to Creator God. Being with Him, walking steadily with Him, the Creator and Sustainer of all things…brings peace and sanity that I celebrate! Correction is needed in me and in each of us and as our hearts are opened to Him, and willing to see, God’s correction is done in great love for our good in Him. In Creator God is our hope! In His love is our help! When you are wearied by your own thoughts churning relentlessly in your mind, stop. Turn to Him and talk with Him. And listen. His words bring healing.