“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt…Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it” (Ezekiel 36:33, 36).
During the early morning in our booming Asian city last summer, we experienced rare typhoon-level winds and rain. Our area had seen flash floods like that before, but never with such powerful gusts of wind. Trees along the road and sidewalks were uprooted and turned completely on their side, dirt still clinging to their tendrils, blocking the usual thoroughfare of cars and passengers. Road crews immediately got to work clearing brush and debris.
Several days later as I walked through our neighborhood park, I observed what had been cleared and what was still being broken apart for removal and replanting. A potted tree whose pot had fallen on its side, its shards had been replaced and set aright; trees that once blocked the path were sawed into several large chunks, awaiting someone to carry them away for burning or recycling.
This past event now seems like a foreshadowing of what we are, and have been, experiencing due to COVID-19. In a season of upheaval and extended waiting, what is Abba uprooting from our environments? What specifically is He removing and replanting in the hearts and lives of His people? How can we participate in this work of renewal? Whether Covid-19 or some other tragic event resulting in great suffering, we can know that God is present to restore and renew His people.
A Moment to reflect:
1. Re-read Ezekiel 36:33, 36- “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt…Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it."
What is one truth you see about God? How can that truth impact the way you live today, how you think, act, respond?
2. Consider these questions, how do you see God working in these specific areas, How is He working in and through you? In a season of upheaval and extended waiting, what is Abba uprooting from our environments? What specifically is He removing and replanting in the hearts and lives of His people? How can we participate in this work of renewal?
3. Spend some time in prayer about your responses to these first two questions.
By Julie Branstetter - an excerpt from For Such A Time As This: Walking Through Crisis
*A moment to reflect is added for this post.
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