Every time I fly and I hear the phrase, “Please make sure your oxygen mask is secure before helping anyone else,” I wonder how it would feel to be a parent, desperate to put a mask on their child to the detriment of their own life. But I see the temptation exists for us everywhere: to give before we’ve received, to pour out before we’ve been poured into. And worse, it’s a part of Christian culture to do so. We laud service and eschew Sabbath. We exalt work and neglect rest. We praise doers and overlooker hearers. We try to feed others before we’ve been fed ourselves. We are in a crisis of care in many spheres of life today. No matter our vocation, it can be tempting to pour out before we allow ourselves to truly be cared for, poured into, and ministered to by the Word of God.
This was the climate into which the prophet Ezekiel was speaking. In today’s passage, the Lord appears to Ezekiel and, essentially, says, “Eat my words and then go speak them to others” (Ezekiel 2:8, my paraphrase). God’s people were in exile, going about their duties, beginning and ending each day exactly the same, the monotony unending. Ezekiel’s vision was intended to interrupt their trance of sameness, to give them a picture and a promise of something better.
But Ezekiel would have been unable to rightly or compellingly convince anyone of anything better if he had not first eaten, chewed on, swallowed, and subsisted on the Word of God. He had to be fed before he could feed others. He had to put on the oxygen mask of God’s message before he could put it on others.
In the same way, the world is asking us to fill spaces, to show up, be something, be everything, speak something, say anything, do something, do everything, but we often feel like walking air-pockets, void of anything of substance inside us. Have you been there? I know I have. The Word of God is food for us, just as it was for Ezekiel. And our food is to do the will of God, just as it was for Jesus (John 4:34). We are called to breathe in what He has given us in His Word, and then to go and speak it to everyone we know.
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25 thoughts on "Ezekiel"
Such a good and clear message today- thank you for taking a slightly odd story to our ears and giving us a marvelous application!
Why do I find it so difficult to listen before passing judgment? Lord, help me to be more curious about others, to ask clarifying questions, and be quick to seek understanding.
This was so good! Always a needed reminder that caring for yourself is so often not selfish but a commandment and detrimental to your ability to care for those around you.
As I read this devotional I am sitting with my infant daughter. It is a great reminder that before I can truly sustain her with my life giving milk, I have to make sure that I am taking care of myself by eating and staying hydrated. My sphere of influence may seem small right now, but I know that God cares about that one.
It’s remarkable in favor of me to have a web site, which
is useful for my know-how. thanks admin
“…speak to them and tell them. ‘Thus says the Lord God,’whether they hear, or whether they refuse.” Nkjv
This passage really jumps out at me, especially concerning the people in my house!Whether they listen or not now, keep speaking truth!
Thank you Lord God for speaking through this SRT ministry to so many of us, including me. I have read this story about Ezekiel several times before but for some reason today’s reading opened my eyes to really see and understand what you are telling us, to be filled with your Word and sustenance and then go and do. I am a “doer” by nature and not one to stop and think before volunteering for something or delving into something. I too am guilty of spending too much time working and not enough time resting and replenishing the well. Thank you for showing me that I cannot serve others when I am empty myself. That’s why this time spent with you is so precious and provides strength and power for each day. Allelulia! Praise be to our God!!
Wow, this message comes at such an appropriate time. I am currently going through a burn out phase at work, and have been hesitating to take time to take care of myself. I
We are either feeding our faith or our fears…I can waist so much of my time feeding my fears with nonsense such as facebook or YouTube or just mindless entertainment on tv…don’t get me wrong not all of it is bad but if it leaves me thinking way to long and the results are fear then I’m not doing a very good job at feeding myself faith. I’d rather feed myself His words or even a good book about Him anything that would build my faith in Him than something that causes me worry or makes me ask, ‘WHAT IF.” Ezeakiel knew that the Israelites wouldn’t listen to him because he first listened to God tell him this…Ezeakeil went out full and equiped.
I want to pour out encouragement and awe of His mighty works! How does one keep a broken vessel full….by keeping it under the tap.
God’s word is truly living. It is astonishing, everyday if I will listen Jesus speaks truth to me through the living word. Seek first the kingdom of God.
I find myself in a time of waiting for the LORD to direct my path. I feel like I know parts of the plan but I haven’t heard, “Go.” The scripture and message today remind me to be steadfast in God’s Word–“chewing, swallowing, subsisting on God’s Word…feeding myself so I can feed others.”
Thank you Lore for this reminder and dear Sister’s for your thoughts as well.
Praying for pastors and leaders today! Fill them up with you lord.
“So I ate it and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.” I love this! God’s Word IS as sweet as honey in my mouth! It feeds me over and over again-teaching, encouraging, admonishing…The Bread of Life ❤️
Lately I have felt like the air has been knocked out of me. God in His kindness to me reminds me that He loves me and His word is the sustenance needed for life. May I dwell here eating chewing breathing in the Word of God. So that His goodness is on my tongue and is all I can speak. Praise Jesus.
You cannot serve from an empty well. This has been something I have been dealing with in our volunteers at church recently. We are no good to ourselves or anyone else if we have not been able to be filled up so that the overflow is all God and pours on those we are serving.
So timely. Thank you God for your perfect timing and giving me exactly what I need.
I feel empty of many things right now, and when I am asked to anything I want to throw myself on the ground and kick. Good reminder to stop and fill myself with God before giving to others.
Wow. Breathe. Sounds so simple. But isn’t it funny that at the times we require O2 the most, we often hold our breath? My spin instructor tells the class to breathe in the middle of a tough challenge and I think, “oh yeah, I’m gonna need that!”. Yes, I need to breathe in His word every day. Thank You for this opportunity to focus on You, Lord Jesus, with these dear sisters. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit to do Your will today!
Breathe/breath = life saving.
Thank you for sharing this. Gods truth and the truth I hear and read from His people has truly been my life line. I needed this today.
“As he spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet…” This is what daily study of the Word does for me.
“I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ Whether they listen or refuse to listen – for they are a rebellious house…” Though this culture I live in is a rebellious one, I am to proclaim the Truth. I have a strategic role in the Great Commission.
Yes, let me feed my stomach and fill my belly with the Word of God. Let me proclaim it and live its Truth out with no fear of the reaction of others. Let me eat, speak and go in the name of the Lord.
“In the same way, the world is asking us to fill spaces, to show up, be something, be everything, speak something, say anything, do something, do everything, but we often feel like walking air-pockets, void of anything of substance inside us. Have you been there? I know I have. The Word of God is food for us, just as it was for Ezekiel.” — so, so good. I was just thinking about how I was asked to join a couple of ministries at our church and I declined, mostly because I just need rest; I just need to refuel and refortify before I can pour out to others. We keep doing things because we think we must be perpetually doing, without replenishing. Thanks for this!
The greatness of God, His all-knowing, ever-pure and perfect wisdom continues to draw me near and stretch me out at the same time – and I am thankful.
“but we often feel like walking air-pockets, void of anything of substance inside us. Have you been there? I know I have”…. this analogy is so real. I have felt this way and find it hard to resist doing before preparing. Thank you for this teaching reminding me that spending time with God and in His word is as important as doing.
Breathe not breath