A Hard Sign For the People

"And the word of the Lord came to me, saying. 'Son of man, behold, I am about to take from you the desire of your eyes with a blow; but you shall not mourn, and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not come. . .' So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And in the morning I did as I was commanded." Ezekiel 24:16 & 18

Wow. What a testament to the faith of this man. You know, sometimes God calls us to some pretty hard things. As I read Scripture, I read of men like Abraham and Jepthah and Ezekiel. There were men who were called to sacrifice all that they had previously held dear, and I can't imagine the kind of faith it took to lay it down.

We struggle with this here in America. I know, because I see it in others and I see it in myself. Deep down we think that God calls us to a life of ease. We read verses in Romans 8 and think that we're on the easy train. Think again, folks. Ezekiel had to lose his wife, just so that it could be a sign of how Israel was going to be.

What would it be like, to lose a loved one for the sake of an object lesson? I can't fathom it. I hope sincerely that it is not what God has called me to. But whatever the situation, I know one thing is true. I know that the joy Ezekiel had was not in his wife. If it were, he would not have obeyed the Lord's command not to mourn. His joy was in his God. While he did take delight in his wife, and rightly so, his true everlasting joy was in God, and so in this sense it becomes a model for us here and now.

What will God call you to lay down for Him? I don't know. I only know that it may be the most difficult thing you've ever faced...but you will never face it alone. The God of all comfort and joy goes with you, supplying you with a strength you've never known. Take your delight in Him today.