Mission from God
Imagine God coming to you with a mission.
Like the bow in a cloud on a rainy day, such was the appearance of the splendor all round. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of someone speaking. He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord God.” Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them. And you, O mortal, do not be afraid of them, and do not be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns surround you and you live among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words, and do not be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. You shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear; for they are a rebellious house. But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you. I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it. He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe. He said to me, O mortal, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. He said to me, Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey. - Ezekiel 1:28-3:3
Ezekiel must have been a bit anxious with all that God was asking of him. After all, God wanted him to go and preach to a rebellious people, and if people back then were like many people today, telling them things they didn't want to hear could be dangerous.
But God gave him a taste of those words he would preach, and Ezekiel found them to be sweet.
This was not going to be something distasteful and cruel, but wonderfully delicious to hear.
The words were words of lamentation and woe, but they were a pathway to redemption and salvation, a way to have a life of milk and honey.
Sometimes we have to be willing to accept the words that are hard to hear, if only to find the sweetness and joy they can help us achieve.
We do this all the time in our lives, in our jobs, in school. We try and get feedback, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but always necessary for our growth.
Even God is eager to give it, if we are eager to listen.
Thank goodness some are.
More to come...