Friday, July 13, 2018
Ezekiel 17:23 (NIV84) On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.
SHELTER AND SHADE
Here the Lord is picturing for us the priceless spiritual blessings He bestows on us who are members of His Church. Just as birds of the air find protection from the elements in the branches of the tree where they’ve built their nests, so we find in the safe haven of the Church protection from the hostile forces in this world that seek to topple and destroy our faith. Just as birds find shade from the searing rays of the hot summer sun in a tree's spreading branches, so we find rest for our souls in the sweet message of "repentance and remission of sins" -- the central message of the Church.
Through that same Gospel message our Lord supplies us with a living hope when the circumstances we're living in (health problems, money problems, family problems) seem bleak. He upholds and strengthens us with His righteous right hand. He blesses us with all we need for our temporal life. He enables us to maintain a positive outlook in stormy days because we know our lives rest in His loving hands. He will make all things work for our good. He affords us strength for fighting the good fight of faith to the end. Best of all, we know He will keep His promise to lead us safely through the valley of the death-shadow to His waiting arms in heaven.
How blessed we are to be able to say with the psalmist:
"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-- a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion" (Psalm 84 NIV84).
