When He has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice. John 10:4-5.

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39.

I loved this today in You Are The Beloved by Henri Nouwen: “Whenever, contrary to the world’s vindictiveness, we love our enemy, we exhibit something of the perfect love of God, whose will is to bring all human beings together as children of one Father. Whenever we forgive instead of getting angry at one another, bless instead of cursing one another, tend one another’s wounds instead of rubbing salt into them, hearten instead of discouraging one another, give hope instead of driving one another to despair, hug instead of harassing one another, welcome instead of cold-shouldering one another, thank instead of criticizing one another, praise instead of maligning one another…in short, whenever we opt for and not against one another, we make God’s unconditional love visible; we are diminishing violence and giving birth to a new community.”

And in our chapter, Ezekiel 19, Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, again uses a different way of speaking to the people. “Take up a lament concerning the princes of Israel and say: ‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions! She lay down among them and reared her cubs. She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he became a man-eater. The nations heard about him, and he was trapped in their pit. They led him with hooks to the land of Egypt. When she saw her hope unfulfilled, her expectation gone, she took another of her cubs and made him a strong lion. He prowled among the lions, for he was now a strong lion. He learned to tear the prey and he became a man-eater. He broke down their strongholds and devastated their towns. The land and all who were in it were terrified by his roaring. Then the nations came against him, those from regions round about. They spread their net for him, and he was trapped in their pit. With hooks they pulled him into a cage and brought him to the king of Babylon. They put him in prison, so his roar was heard no longer on the mountains of Israel.’” v. 1-9. In the notes below it said the two lion cubs were King Jehoahaz who was taken captive to Egypt in 609 B.C. by Pharaoh Necho (2 Kings 23:31-33), and either King Johoiachin or King Zedekiah. And the mother – Judah? “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. Its branches were strong, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches. But it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground. The east wind made it shrivel, it was stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire consumed them. Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. Fire spread from one of its main branches and consumed its fruit. No strong branch is left on it fit for a ruler’s scepter. This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.’” v. 10-14. God needed to show them in a different way because they refused to see and couldn’t understand.

The excerpt I shared above from You Are The Beloved, reminded me of one of my favorite movies based upon a true story – Hacksaw Ridge. It takes place before and during the battle of Okinawa during World War II. Desmond Doss, had to win the right to go into battle without a gun. He wanted to be a medic. He was ridiculed, beaten, and finally court martialed for standing up for what he believed in. A general intervened. He was allowed to train as a medic and join his company. The man ridiculed and feared to be a “coward” who would endanger the whole company, saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun. He even tried to save 2 Japanese soldiers, but they died as they were being lowered down the cliff in the tall netting that led to and from the ridge where such fierce fighting was taking place. Fleeing in a tunnel from some Japanese soldiers, he even encountered a wounded Japanese soldier. He placed a bandage on him and gave him morphine for his pain before leaving the tunnel to continue saving his own fellow soldiers. Can you imagine? He was the first conscientious objector to ever earn the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was almost undone by the horrific things he witnessed and had no psychological or spiritual preparation for, but he carried on with his one prayer…Lord, help me save one more….please Lord, help me save one more! Desmond Doss didn’t run away from the battle. He even used his body to tackle a fellow soldier to the ground to save him from a bullet and used his own leg to kick away a grenade to save his fellow soldiers, thus earning the wound that would send him home. And those men who ridiculed him for a coward wouldn’t climb the netting on their second foray up the cliff until Desmond finished praying for God’s help. Jesus never carried a gun or a sword and His final prayer on the cross? Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34). Do we truly think Creator God was only present in times past? He is here today! Can you listen for His voice? Can you trust Him for just one more?