Ezekiel 16-19

Today the Daily Walk Bible devotional pointed out the providence of God. The providence of God is an important theme in the entire book of Ezekiel. God showcases His providence through the book in telling the people how He has been in control, how His judgment and discipline came right from Him in a response to their sin, and in how He will eventually restore the people back into the promise land. God and His providence is scattered throughout the book. God’s providence may be defined as; His continual involvement with all created things in such a way that He keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which He created them, cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do and directs them to fulfill His purposes. Now, I know this is a long definition that might be somewhat confusing, so let me make it a little clearer. Basically anything that happens in this world, whether it is in nature or people, is controlled by God. Anything that happens in your life, both the good and the painful, are controlled and done by God. And God is working all that happens in this world and in our lives for His greater purpose. So as some of the reading today and the previous chapters of Ezekiel pointed out, God sent His people to Egypt and at the same time God also brought His people out of Egypt with the plagues and the crossing of the Red Sea. God put His perfect innocent Son on the cross (or more pointedly stated, Jesus as God put Himself on the Cross) and at the same time God raised Jesus from the dead and conquered sin and death. God, in His clear purpose, chose each of us to be born in the place and time and family we were born in and has in His providence had complete control over all the actions of our lives.  God’s providence in Ezekiel shows that God is in control of all for His greatest glory and the greatest good of those people who love and worship Him. God and His providence is one of the most comforting aspects of doctrine that we can hold on to, because knowing and believing it gives us the greatest comfort when life gets painful and hard. So reading through Ezekiel so far has made me thankful and praise God for His perfect and total control. Has it made you?