Ezekiel

I know it's super late, but let me tell you what God did.
A beautiful friend of mine, Susanna, sent me a text to read Ezekiel 36:8-11. Talk about random, right? Who reads Ezekiel? Well, obviously, God's got a word there, too. Check this out:

"You, mountains of Israel, will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel, since their arrival is near. Look! I am on your side; i will turn toward you, and you will be tilled and sown. I will fill you with people, with the whole house of Israel in its entirety. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will fill you with people and animal and they will increase and  be fruitful. I will make you inhabited as you once were and make you better off than you were before. Then you will know that I am the LORD."

WOW!!! As I was reading it, God was connecting circles in my head. I started to write it down in my journal and God connected even more. This is such an incredible picture of so many aspects of our Father and who we are in Him!!

1. Sunday at church, my pastor, Josh, started a series on heaven and hell. He referenced Revelation 12:11 that says, "They conquored him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death," and said that satan doesn't have to destroy our lives - he simply has to distract us from our goal - from the glory and kingdom of God and His purpose in our lives. Not only that but Matthew 6:10 says "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." We've all read that before. It's not simply something we recite on occasion, it's praying that God's kingdom as He intended it be brought to this earth. The christian church typically teaches creation, fall, and redemption - God created you. Sin entered you and you became worthless. God redeemed you. They stop there. NOT TRUE - THERE IS MORE! Like Ezekiel explicitly says - God will rebuild these ruins. If that's not a call for restoration, I'm not sure there is one. The gospel is about restoration. Redemption isn't the finish line. It's more like you've finally made the team, now get out there and play. Not only will we, as individuals and as the bride of Christ, be restored, but we will be more perfect than we ever have been or thought we could be.
2. I love that the trees continue to bear fruit. Nature keeps going - trees continue their cycle, giving everything they have right now - in the fall - of every year for God's glory, even if He doesn't come and redeem them just yet. What a powerful word is that if spoken over our lives? - that we give all that we are for the glory of God, even if it means waiting for our restoration and waiting for the fulfillment of His promises. Even if it means going through some rough times over and over again. Even if it means living in cycles until we have the power in Him to break them.. He uses hard times to test us, yes, but also to mold us, shape us, and cleanse us in preparation for His will for us.
3. It seems that God is saying He is with us, the mountains, trees, and land given to Israel, even in the hard times - "it's okay because I'm using this, too, to prepare for what I have coming." WOW. Speaking to my siestas who've read SLI, and even those who haven't...WHAT SATAN WOULD USE FOR EVIL, GOD WILL USE FOR GOOD - our insecurities, while devastating, are not the end. God can, will, and DOES use those for good.
4. He is on our side - Romans 8:28. He has a plan.
5. We are His temple - He will fill us with His people. That's a picture of His promise in Genesis for fertility, yes, and also explains that awful monthly battle we women have to face, but also perfectly describes the church! Not only is He restoring these earthly bodies and making them more than perfect, but He's also restoring and perfecting the church - His bride - for the wedding that is coming.....under the chuppah - the covenant. WOW!!
6. We.will.know.Him.

WOW.