Category: Psalms

All His Wonders

Old Testament: Genesis 23 & 24

Poetry: Psalm 9

New Testament: Matthew 9

Psalm 9 is packed with so many insights into God’s character! Take a moment and read this Psalm if you haven’t yet. Keep an eye out for where David talks about God and His character. 

In this Psalm, David is comparing those who know God and those who are wicked. He mentions God’s holiness, justness, and provision – contrasting God’s response to both groups of people. David also mentions multiple times that he will “tell of your deeds” as he reminisces on the wonders that God has done in his life. David has confidence and faith in God because he knows that the LORD is faithful. 

Ok just a second though… in David’s time, Jesus hadn’t died and risen yet, let alone even been born. But look at how firm David is in his praise! He knows that God has done wonders and will do even more. He knows that God cares about His people.

How much more thankful can we be because we know of Jesus? We can have a beautiful perspective when we read the Old Testament because we know what happens in the New. The hope of God’s throne, of His provision, and judgment have an exponentially greater meaning to us with the hope of the Kingdom. 

Like David in verse 11, we can tell those around us the wonderful things God has done (and will do). We can even see this topic in the New Testament. If we flip to the other side of our Bibles, we see in Hebrews 10:23-25 that we have a steadfast hope because of the faithfulness of God through the sacrifice of Jesus. With this foundation, we can encourage each other as brothers and sisters. This encouragement will lead to love and good deeds – loving God and loving others!

Let’s take some time today to praise God for His faithfulness. That He has done wonderful deeds (Psalm 9:1), that He is a stronghold in times of trouble (9:9), that He hears the cry of the afflicted (9:12), and that He does not forget the needy (9:18). I find it so amazing that Matthew 9 reveals the heart of God even more. Jesus’ mission was to do his Father’s will, which means that we can see God’s character through the actions of Jesus. 

In Matthew 9:12-13, Jesus says that he isn’t calling the righteous, but the sinners – the ones who are sick and need healing. WOW! Friends, that’s all of us. Even those of us who have been believers for a while. We must remember that we too were and are sinners and have been saved! Thank you God for seeing the needy, the poor, the hurt, and the sinners. Now THAT is something to praise God with our WHOLE HEART (Psalm 9:1) for. Let us be glad in that. 

Today, I want to encourage you to think about the wonderful deeds that God has done in your life. See if you could ask that same question to another believer in your life. Sharing God’s faithfulness encourages and edifies both ourselves and those around us.

-Katelyn Salyers

Reflection Questions

  1. What wonderful deeds has God done in your life?
  2. Today who will you ask to tell you what wonderful deeds God has done in their life?
  3. Why is it important to tell yourself and others what God has done? What happens when we forget?
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Day and Night

Old Testament: Genesis 1

*Poetry: Psalm 1

New Testament: Matthew 1


I am proud to say that I rang in 2024 without a resolution. In fact, I have been resolution-less for the last three years. In a manner of speaking, I have completely given up on goals and I have no innate desire to make my dreams come true. It all sounds a bit melancholy, but follow me for a moment as I explain this change in mindset.  A few years ago, I stumbled across How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams, the author of the Dilbert comic strip.  In this book, Adams makes the case priorities and their processes have a much greater impact on success versus goal-driven behaviors.  I am not anti-goal or resolution, but when we resolve to make a checklist of accomplishment, no matter how big or small, that is a momentary celebration followed by a lingering aftertaste of, “Now what?”  

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take  or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.” – Psalm 1:1-3

Psalm 1 presents the idea that Delighting in God and meditating on His words are not quantifiable checklist items that earn badges or streaks.  These are the priorities that help develop processes, such as a daily visit to the Seek Grow Love blog, to help us live a more fulfilled life, whether it is star-studded or filled with very few accolades. Day and night, it becomes the rhythm to which we live our lives, alongside the very beating of our heart.  The only reprieve is a temporary status of death.  Any merit or notoriety we hope to achieve as Christians, such as sitting at the right hand of Jesus (Matt 20), is legalistic hoo-ha, and ironically, resolutions that may keep us away from the pursuit of the Kingdom of God.

So what do processes look like that prioritize God, let His word speak, and lead to Living Water throughout 2024 and beyond? One example we have is the contrast of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. We must choose Jesus over the mundane daily grind. This means that when Jesus is speaking the words of God at your house, you stop what you are doing to sit down and listen. There will always be a nagging chore, entertainment, and distractions, but more than Martha, we have an opportunity to invite Jesus every single day into our home.  Don’t be in the next room working, literally or metaphorically, missing this opportunity. 

Another example might be more related to the execution.  As a parent to a couple of toddlers, I have  wryly pondered the question posed by Peter,  “How many times should I forgive brothers (or in my case, children) when they sin against me?”  The answer supplied by Jesus is 490, a number we have well-passed for the same offenses in my house. I think we all understand that this is not a literal number but a commitment to prioritizing love for others over indulgences of self.  Some of us may be asked to forgive more than others, whether in accumulation of trespasses or a single terrible, unspeakable offense, planting ourselves by the banks of Living Water is the way we have access to the infinite, inexhaustible grace of God and still find delight in the hardest of pills to swallow.

Trust the process of prioritizing and meditating on God’s word.  Find less resolution and rid yourself of the rote. Worry less about what you need to accomplish and look for opportunities, day and night, to spend time delighting in the Lord, who is watching over our way. This year, begin to leave the accolades to Him.

“For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” – Psalm 1:6

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. What benefits do you see in living more of a priorities and processes life than a goals and resolutions life? 
  2. What are your priorities? What processes do you already do to keep your top priorities top? What tweaks or refinements could be helpful in keeping first things first? 
  3. What does it look like to Delight in the Lord? How does one meditate on His law day and night? What does the life look like that does these things? What does the life look like that doesn’t do these things? Where are you? Where do you want to be? How can you get there?
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Who Cares?

Old Testament: Zechariah 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 142

New Testament: Matthew 28

In my opinion, David had an amazing life.  They chose him to be king!  That’s something pretty impressive we can’t say (unless there are any kings reading this).  He was a hero as a young child when he took down Goliath.  That was such an impressive feat that someone made a song about him that we sang in Sunday School all the time.  Has anyone made a song about you?  Probably not (unless you are one of these people:  Delilah, Billie Jean, Roxanne, Jude, Mickey, Jack and Diane, Mrs. Robinson, and some others).  David had his ups and downs in life, but he seemed to have it together pretty well.  It was a bit surprising to hear what he had to say in Psalms 142.

Apparently, he was hiding out in a cave when he wrote this, so he probably wasn’t having one of his better days.  He starts out by crying out to God for mercy and telling him his trouble.  He says his spirit is growing faint and that no one is concerned about him.  In verse 4, he says that no one cares for his life.  He tells God to listen to his cry because he was in desperate need.  Clearly, David was down and out and feeling very alone.  If that state of mind can happen to someone like David, it could happen to anyone.  We all know that millions of people every day feel like this; probably some of you reading this.  There are a lot of hurting people in our world.

It hit me to write about this topic because it is two days before Christmas, and I think a lot of these lonely feelings are magnified on the holidays for many, especially at Christmastime.  We know the true meaning of Christmas has to do with the birth of Christ and you can celebrate that on your own, but the holiday has also become an important time for family for many.  There are many family traditions celebrated and family gatherings taking place.  This is how I knew I had cousins.  But not everyone has a great family situation, and some have little to no family at all.  Or maybe they don’t live anywhere near their family.  Unfortunately, holidays can make people feel a lot like what David was feeling.

In verse 7, David compared his situation to being in prison and asked God to set him free so that he could go back to praising him.  However, it was the end of verse 7 that caught my attention.  David ends by saying that the righteous will gather around him because of God’s goodness to him.  There may be someone crying out to God at this moment because they feel lonely and think nobody cares about them.  That person needs some righteous people to gather around them, so they know God is still good.  You and I need to be on the lookout for these people and be willing to sacrifice some time to surround them with some love.  I also have a suggestion for anyone who is feeling lonely themselves; be on the lookout for others who are hurting and be willing to sacrifice some time to surround them with some love.

Obviously, there are countless ways you can make a difference in someone’s life.  It is not difficult to figure that part out; the difficult part can be following through and doing it.  I challenge you to find someone that could use some lifting up.  I doubt it will take long to think of someone, but then move beyond the thinking to the doing.

Reflection Questions:

Have you ever stopped to think about those around you or are you too busy with your own Christmas celebration?  Can you think of someone who may be having a tough Christmas because they are feeling lonely?

What are some practical things you could do to let someone hurting know they are loved?

-Rick McClain

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Home Alone

Old Testament: Habakkuk 1-3

*Poetry: Psalm 139

New Testament: Matthew 25

Christmas is approaching, and today’s reading of Psalms 139 reminded me of the movie Home Alone.  I suspect most of you are familiar with the family who went on vacation and didn’t realize until they arrived at their vacation destination that they had left their very young son home alone.  This seems like a bit of a stretch; did they not consider why they had a leftover plane ticket?  Anyways, it was a fun movie and I know that probably all parents have forgotten about their kids when they were supposed to be responsible for them many times.  This is how crayon drawings happen on walls, unexpected haircuts happen, etc.  However, today we read that we are never alone, not for a second, literally.

God is always with us, whether you like it or not, ALL the time.  From your very beginning in your mother’s womb to this very minute, He has been with you the whole way.  He doesn’t ever sleep, and He isn’t just in the next room over in case you need some help; He is staring at you all day and night long.  I doubt He even blinks.  That is intense!  But that shows how invested He is in your life.  Moreover, He knows more about you than you know about yourself.  Give that a minute to sink in.  I know myself really well because I can hear all the thoughts in my mind, but He knows me more.  He knows my thoughts before I think them.  Whoa!

He is totally inside my head, but He still gives me the freedom to live the life I want, even when it is something He dislikes.  He allows me to go the wrong direction, but you’ve probably heard Him like I have, saying “don’t do that, that’s a bad idea.”  Can you imagine how He feels when we ignore Him and do what makes us feel good instead?  On the other hand, can you imagine how He feels when we listen to Him in those moments and do the right thing?

Let’s put ourselves in God’s shoes for a minute.  I know, basically impossible, but let’s try anyways.  Let’s imagine that you were as brilliant as God, and you used your talents to create a new girl or boy.  You also loved your new creation more than can be comprehended and you wanted to spend all your time with your new person every minute of every day for their whole life.  Does it seem creepy to love someone so much that you never want to leave them alone?  Maybe, but it also shows the incredible degree of love you have for them.

Now let’s look at some potential scenarios and see how you feel about them.  You love this person immensely and spend all day with them, but in the first scenario, they don’t ever even acknowledge you are there.  I would be devastated and extremely hurt.  How rude!  In the next scenario, they know you are there, but they rarely pay attention to you.  They could go hours or even days not saying a word to you.  Why are they ignoring me?  Do they not like me that much?  In the last scenario, they understand what you did for them and that you are there for them.  They stay in contact with you all throughout every day.  They appreciate what you do for them, and they love you as best as their human hearts allow.  That sounds like a great relationship that both people would feel great about.

God cares about you so much that He is always with you.  He nudges you along the way to keep you on the right path, but He lets you make the decisions in your life.  He invests so much in you because He loves you immensely and wants to have a personal relationship with you.  It is an understatement to say we are fortunate to have someone so knowledgeable, powerful, and loving on our side and so involved in our lives.

Reflection Questions:

Do you realize how important you are to God?  Have you thanked Him for that lately?

There is a lot to be upset and anxious about in today’s world.  Does it make it easier when you stop to consider that God is with you to the end through all the difficult times?

How long do you typically ignore that there is someone (God) with you each day?  Do you acknowledge Him throughout the day, or do you get to the end of the day, and say, “Oh, Hi God, I forgot you were there.  Sorry I didn’t have time to talk today”?

-Rick McClain

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The Search for Knowledge?

Old Testament: Amos 7-9

Poetry: Psalm 131

New Testament: Matthew 17

Our Psalm reading starts today with this verse:

1 My heart is not proud, Lord,
    my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
    or things too wonderful for me.

When reading through this, I had two thoughts on this first verse from different perspectives.

  1. Do we sometimes try to understand things that we just really can’t understand?  There are some people who want to know the answer to everything.  And searching for knowledge isn’t inherently bad.  But does it become so much of a priority that it is leading you toward pride?
  2. On the other hand, do we let this become an excuse to just say “well, I guess we can’t know” and give up on the pursuit of truth and knowledge?

I think there probably has to be a balance between these two things.  When I don’t know the answer to something (that I believe to be unanswerable – not like a math problem that has a clear answer), it just doesn’t bug me.  I know other people who just have to know and they spend so much time searching and studying and still not finding answers which frustrates them.  But I do let that be an excuse at times to not search for an answer and give up on something that I could know more about.

The passage goes on to say, “But I have stilled and quieted my soul […] O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.”

That’s the key.  Our hope shouldn’t be found in knowledge.  Our hope should be in the LORD.  We should be at peace with the things that are above our understanding.  But I also think we should try to know the LORD as best as we can with our human minds.  In John 17:3, it says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”  Eternal life is to know God and His Son Jesus.  And we can’t know Him if we don’t spend time pursuing Him even if we can’t have all the answers.

So we should be doing what we can to know and understand God, but also let go of our desire to have the answer to everything, humble ourselves, and live in peace knowing that God’s ways are greater than our own.

~Stephanie Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. Is there some information you are content not knowing? Like what?
  2. Have you ever found yourself struggling with pride because of what you do know? How can you practice humility instead?
  3. What do you think God wants us to know about Him and His Son?
  4. Do you ever misplace your hope and put it in yourself and all you know and can do – instead of in God? What is the remedy?
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It Changes Everything

Old Testament: Amos 5 & 6

Poetry: Psalm 130

New Testament: Matthew 16

In our reading today, we see these verses:

3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
    Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
    so that we can, with reverence, serve you. – Psalm 130

This was written back in the pre-Jesus times.  Yet even then, the writer speaks of forgiveness of our sins.  How much more is that available to us with the blood of Jesus to wash those sins away?  We can be so thankful that the LORD does not keep a record of our sins.  If He did, we could not stand.

Has someone ever done something to you that you hold onto and struggle letting go of?  Now I do think there can be wisdom in remembering things that are dangerous – say, you play a game of pool with your then-boyfriend, and he hits you with a cue stick in the face on accident.  Then maybe, when you play pool with your now-husband, you are a little extra careful to make sure you don’t get too close when he is lining up a shot. 

That’s a joking example, but there are times when serious hurt may be done, and we can learn from those instances so they don’t get repeated.  But learning from things and keeping a record of sins to hold against people is very different.  As you are reading Psalms 130 today, ask yourself, is there someone that you need to forgive or something you need to let go of?

Our New Testament chapter for today is Matthew 16 which is where Peter makes the big confession – identifies the truth – that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.  If we too confess this, we can take part in the forgiveness of sins.

The Psalm continues on –

5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning.

I don’t feel that I do a great job of waiting for the LORD with my whole being.  It isn’t in the forefront of my mind.  It is easy to live life with the focus not being on God with so many different things available to distract us.  How would my life look different if that was my main focus? 

We talked in a youth group class this year about how the good news should radically alter our lives.  It should infuse every aspect of it.  That thought came up again in a book I was reading related to parenting.  The gospel changes everything.  If God is my main focus, and I let the salvation that Jesus has made possible alter every part of my life, that includes how I interact with my children.  Parenting is what stood out to me in that, but that might not be where it hits you – maybe for you, you are struck that the gospel should change how you go to school, interact with your friends, work at your job, etc. 

If you want a song reminder of this Psalm, visit https://open.spotify.com/track/6A6GlReEZA0eG48K9yKK0J to hear a song written by Aaron Winner called “Wait For the Morning.”

~Stephanie Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. Is there someone that you need to forgive or something you need to let go of?
  2. How would my life look different if waiting on the Lord was my main focus? 
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Still Giving Thanks

Old Testament: Daniel 9,10

Poetry: Psalm 118*

New Testament: Matthew 4

In our homeschool history lessons, my children and I have been learning about much of the world exploration that happened following the Reformation. Prior to this time period, two entire continents – North and South America – were largely unknown to the charted world. When there was religious persecution in England, the Puritans, who believed they should be able to worship God in their own way rather than under the thumb of the Church of England, decided to venture to the New World, where they could be truly free. Explorers had already paved the way for their travels; some colonies survived, but some did not. These Pilgrims were supposed to arrive at an existing Virginian village, but because a fierce storm blew The Mayflower off course, they ended up in Massachusetts instead. Their journey was wrought with difficulties, but they were careful to make note of God’s provision along the way, such as providing a kind Native American named Squanto who knew English (as a result of his own hardship of being sold into slavery in England for a time) and taught them how to grow food and survive the winter. Though half of the Pilgrims died that first year, they joined with their new Native American family after the first fall harvest to give thanks to God for his blessings. 

Psalm 118 begins and ends with praise; what a great reminder of how we should start and finish each day! It continues on to tell of difficulties and challenges, but immediately shares how YHWH God showed up each time, a reminder of His faithfulness and provision. 

Last week, many of us gathered to thank God for our blessings, remember the historical first Thanksgiving, and express gratitude for our religious freedom. Thanksgiving is perhaps my favorite holiday; it’s often a simple gathering with a mighty feast of both food and gratitude. My favorite part of the day is participating in the Cain family prayer song. Before we dig into our meal, thirty or more of us – original Cains, their spouses and families and extended families, and many friends – hold hands and sing “Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart” in a variety of harmonies. This sends shivers through my body as it reverberates through the large room that was once a church sanctuary and in which there have been countless prayers offered and innumerable songs sung. I always think of the bookend verses of Psalm 118 (verses 1 and 29, NIV) on Thanksgiving, but it is wise to remember at the beginning and end of every day of the year: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” 

Reflection:

-Commit to memory the first and final verses of Psalm 118. Then practice saying them as you wake up for the day and as you tuck yourself back into bed at night.

-Gratitude is an attitude! How can you cultivate more gratitude? 

Rachel Cain

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Good!

Old Testament: Ezekiel 23 & 24

Poetry: Psalm 100

New Testament: Revelation 15

I chose to write about Psalm 100 because of how much we can learn from it despite its shortness. This is a great chapter to read, and it only takes a minute of your whole day. The first thing I would like to point out is that in verse four it says, “Bless his name.” This verse is talking about God and how we should give thanks to him and bless his name. Now if you’re like me you might be thinking, why should we bless God’s name? Well, God blessing us and us blessing God are not the same thing at all. God does not profit from us blessing him. It’s not like he gets stronger or better anytime someone blesses him. On the other hand, when God blesses us, we benefit from it. In this verse, it is talking more about how we should praise him.

Throughout the whole Psalm, it talks about how we should praise God. As a church, I believe we should be more joyful, and excited. This Psalm is a great example of how we should praise God. It tells us we should serve God with gladness, shout joyfully, enter his gates with thanksgiving, and give thanks to God.

Usually when we think of ‘good’ we use it to mean something between ok and great. But in this passage, it is saying that he is righteous and about how great God is. This reminds me of the popular song below:

God is good, all the time

And all the time, God is good.

This Psalm is a great one to meditate on. Here are some points from Psalm 100 that you can meditate on.

God made us

We are the sheep in his pasture

The Lord himself is God

His lovingkindness is everlasting

The Lord is good

His faithfulness continues to all generations

Throughout the whole book of Psalms, it says, “His lovingkindness is everlasting”. In fact, it says it 34 times. Of those 34 times, 26 of them are all in Psalm 136. It even says it in every single verse.

Even in this short Psalm we can take so much from it.

-Makayla Railton

(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove on January 26, 2018)

Reflection Questions

  1. Do you believe the Lord God is good? Why?
  2. How can you work to bless His name today?
  3. Where can you post Psalm 100 to see and remember it often?

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A Difficult Climb

Old Testament: Ezekiel 19 & 20

Poetry: Psalm 98

New Testament: Revelation 13

Have you ever been hiking in the mountains? Have you heard the crisp cool breeze filtering through the branches of the towering evergreens? The sweet melodies of birds and the rushing mountain stream?

I appreciate that in this Psalm the beauty of God’s creation is intertwined with praising the creator. The psalmist paints a picture for us of the mountains and the rivers singing together for joy. From the creation we can observe the majesty and power of its creator.

This past spring I had the opportunity to hike in the Carpathian mountains of Romania. I did not know that this grueling 12 hour hike was something I was embarking on until the morning of. It was cold, the hike was steep and in some places slick from the packed snow melt. I didn’t know when this hike was going to end as that was a secret my group’s leaders kept a mystery. And all we had to drink was warm sparkling water. At times it felt as though my legs would give out and that I was going to lose strength. But I had to just keep trusting my leaders and asking God for the strength to keep going. It was difficult.

But then we reached the summit. The snow capped peaks and majestic towering mountains surrounded us on almost every side. It was beautiful. From the heights I saw a new perspective than what I had seen prior to the hike. I could see new parts of God’s creation and praise him for the opportunity to explore it.

This is what this Psalm reminds me of. Sometimes after we go through those difficult times in life, we see why we had to climb steep mountain sides. For, without the difficult climb we would not now see the beauty of God’s handiwork. Because of this blessing to see the wonderful things that God has done, we can, as the psalmist writes, “sing to the LORD a new song”.

-Hannah Deane

Reflection Questions

  1. What do you love about God’s creation?
  2. What helps keep you going through the difficult “climbs” and times?
  3. What difficult “climbs” have you gone through that now allow you to “Sing a new song”? How was the new song different from the old song?
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Lost and Wandering

Old Testament: Ezekiel Intro – found below

Poetry: Psalm 90

New Testament: Revelation 5


Have you ever had a time in your life where you just feel lost? Like it could be a major thing that happened to you, or just a time where it felt like nothing was falling into place. Where you just wander around, with no end goal in mind, going through the motions. I know in my life there have been plenty of times where I’ve felt that way. One time that I can really think of was my senior year of high school. Going into that year I had no clue what I was going to do in just a few short months. I knew what I wanted sometime in the future, but not right after I graduated. I felt like everything was working out perfectly for all of my friends around me, and that they knew exactly what was ahead for them. But for me, I had no clue. I was lost and just didn’t know what my plan was going to look like. 

Another wandering story is the Israelites in the desert. They disobeyed God, and they wandered around for 40 years! Think about that! They were told that their generation would not enter the promised land, so they just moved around. That is a long time to just move from place to place without an end goal in sight. Now, Psalms 90 is written by Moses, most likely around the time that the Israelites are wandering in the desert. So with that context in mind, let’s dive into what the Psalm is talking about.

The first four verses here Moses is praising God for how great He is. Moses is trying to show just how big and powerful God is. He says in verse 2 “from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Moses then contrasts God’s foreverness with man in verses 5-12. In this section, he talks about how man’s life is short. And beyond that, he says “yet their span is but trouble and sorrow.” (verse 10) Moses is saying that not only is man’s life short, yet in that short life there are a lot of bad things that can happen as well. Remember, Moses is wandering through the desert right now, there are not a lot of great things going on for him. Every time he turns around the people are disobeying him and God. They are just moving from place to place. Knowing that they are not going to get to see the land that God promised them. Yet after all this he moves back into prayer. In verses 13-17, Moses asks God to show His love. In verse 14 he says “satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love.” 

When we are “wandering” and lost, we should take a lesson from Moses. Even when nothing was going right for him, he still asked God to make him glad. (verse 15) Moses asked God for His favor to rest on him. It is easy when things are going poorly to forget how everlasting God is. Moses reminds us that when things aren’t going right, and you’re just “wandering” to not forget about what God has done and what He can do.

-Camden Bormes

Reflection Questions

  1. When have you felt lost and wandering, with no clear goal in mind?
  2. What can we learn from Moses in his time of wandering?
  3. How do you refocus on God’s unfailing love? Have you ever tried asked Him to satisfy you with His unfailing love (which doesn’t mean making your life perfect or giving you everything you want)?
  4. What can we learn about God from Psalm 90?

Ezekiel Introduction

The Book of Ezekiel was written by the prophet Ezekiel while he was in Babylon during the Babylonian captivity.  (Ezekiel was among the first of the exiles to Babylon, and prophesied to Israel for 7 years before the fall of Jerusalem, and for about 13 years after.)  

Thirteen of Ezekiel’s messages are dated in relation to King Jehoiachin’s exile, and you’ll notice, while reading the book, that the messages aren’t recorded strictly chronologically, but are recorded by theme (e.g. 27:1, 29:17, 30:20).

Many times, God called Ezekiel “son of man” – a title Jesus used for himself multiple times in the Gospels.  God also called Ezekiel a watchman, who had to give a warning to sinful people, as we see in 33:7-9, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.  When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.  But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.’ ”

The book is full of visions and prophecies. It starts with Ezekiel’s awesome vision of God and God’s calling Ezekiel.  It includes prophecies of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem; prophecies against the nations surrounding Israel; and finishes with visions of the future restoration of the land and [millennial] temple, and the glory of God returning to the temple.

Some of the most well-known visions include Chapter 37 (The Valley of Dry Bones) and Chapters 38 and 39 (prophecies against Gog and Magog).

-Steve Mattison

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