A Sanctuary for His People
Backgrounder on Ezekiel 7-11:
In a series of visions, Ezekiel
foresees the what, why and how
of God’s judgment upon Judah.
The What: total destruction of
Jerusalem and the departure
of God’s glory from the temple.
The Why: generations of idolatry,
wickedness & spiritual indifference.
The How: through the cruel Baby-
lonians, God’s agents of judgment.
But the harshness of the sentence
is tempered by a tender reminder:
A remnant will survive, receive
sanctuary in a foreign country
and return to the Land of Promise.
Lord, You Provide Your People Sanctuary as well as New Heart:
Tell the exiles, this is what the
Sovereign Lord says: Although
I have scattered u in the countries
of the world, I will be a Sanctuary
to you during your time in exile…
I will gather you… and give you
the land of Israel (Ezek 11:16-17).
I will give them an undivided Heart
and put a new spirit in them;
I will remove from them their
heart of stone and give them
a Heart of Flesh… Then they
will truly be my people, and
I will be their God (Ezek 11:19-20).
Lord, thank You that You are
my Sanctuary and my refuge.
Thank You for the promise of
protection in Psalm 91 that: if
you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your
shelter, no evil will conquer you.
Thank You for the promise of
Your Presence & Help in Ps 139:
that I can never get away
from Your Presence… and that
Your hand will guide me & Your
strength will support me. Amen.
Lord, I pray You will fill me with
Your love; and keep my heart
from wandering away from You.
Make my heart Lord to be
undivided and take away
any hardheartedness in me.
I invite You to take charge of
my mind and emotions & help me
to give complete control to You.
Light a flame of desire in me
for You that never goes out. Amen.
Lord, thank You that when we
become Christians, You did a
miracle by making us new inside.
You took out the hard cold hearts
and put in new & compassionate
hearts so that we are able to
serve, do good and help others.
Help us to have an ear for those
who need counsel or a kind word.
Help us to give practical helps
when someone has a real need.
Help us to intercede for people
who are in trouble or need healing.
Help us to live as we should. Amen.