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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“And the name of the city from that time on will be: The
Lord is there.”
This ends today’s reading
from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Back on May 31st we started this journey through the Book of
Ezekiel, one of the major prophetic books in the Old Testament. Today, we
finish some three and a half months later with a single defining statement to
culminate the return and restoration of God’s people to their homeland after seventy
years of captivity at the hands of the Babylonians. And although the statement
is applied specifically to the holy city of Jerusalem, it would serve as a universal
theme for Israel, not only in the days of Ezekiel but today as well.
What was the statement?
Simply, it was “The Lord is there.”
Indeed, God’s presence had returned to the rebuilt temple as
we saw in the third devotion of the series on restoration and with that, He was
back in the midst of His beloved people. Once again, He was their God and they
were His people.
It’s little wonder as we read the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah
that we find a people finding their way again spiritually, the opportunity for
rebirth provided by their return from exile. Separation from someone can
rekindle one’s appreciation of the person absent in their life. That certainly
became true in the lives of the Israelite people who went back to basics,
placing the Lord at the center of their lives where He belonged.
Today, the good news is that the statement the Lord makes at
the end of Ezekiel still holds true today, not only in the blessed city of
Jerusalem but also in the lives of all His people.
The Lord is still there and friends, this is good news that
we should always revel in. Consider these dozen ways the Lord is there for you
and me, reinforced by the very words of God:
The Lord is there…
1. …when we need strength.
The Lord is my
strength. Psalm 28:7
The Lord is the one
who sustains me. Psalm 54:4b
2. …when we need healing.
I am the Lord who
heals you. Exodus 15:26
3. …when we need comfort.
The Lord is close to
the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
4. …when we need help.
He is with us and for
us. Psalm 46:7
5. …when we need forgiven.
The Lord our God is
merciful and forgiving. Daniel 9:9
6. …when we need truth.
The word of the Lord
is right and true. Psalm 33:4
7. …when we need protection.
In the Lord I take
refuge. Psalm 11:1
The Lord is my
strength and my defense Psalm 118:14
8. …when we need direction and guidance.
The Lord will guide
you always. Isaiah 58:11a
9. …when we need peace.
The Lord blesses his
people with peace. Psalm 29:11
10. …when we need hope.
Blessed is the one
who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. Jeremiah 17:7
11. …when we need love.
The Lord is good and
His love endures forever Psalm 100:5
12. …when we need redeemed, delivered, and saved.
Our Redeemer—the Lord
Almighty is His name. Isaiah 47:4
We wait for the Lord;
He is our deliverer and shield. Psalm 33:20 (NET)
The Lord is my
strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. Exodus 15:2a
In sum, anything we could ever need and everything we could
ever ask for can be found in one source, the Lord and the Lord alone. He is
there for us and through Him, we find complete fulfillment.
Won’t you stop right now and give Him thanks for that truth?
PS: If you have a special testimony as to how the Lord has
been there for you, please leave a comment on this devotion.
Amen
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
1 comment:
Thinking about it, the Lord really does provide us with everything we need, even in times where it doesn't seem like it. While I was in college, I always had a hard time paying the remainder of my tuition fees by the end of the semester, a requirement that needed to be met before we could register for class next semester. I cried, I panicked, I did just about every bit of worrying, trying to figure out when and where I could get $4,000 in just two weeks. Finally, I just prayed, expecting the Lord to answer my prayers. And He did, every single time. Now I can definitely say, in more ways than one, that God provided everything I needed in order to graduate with a degree! Thank God for being the ultimate provider of our needs and wants! :)
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