This week we have been studying the parable of the Eagles and the Vine in Ezekiel 17. I described it as an ancient parable to read when you have lost hope. Why? Because Ezekiel’s parable is a message to Israel that says, “Israel, though you have turned away from me, though you are in exile, though you are facing the consequences of your disbelief and wicked behavior, return to me, and you will find hope in me. I will receive you and give you new life.”
I met a new ministry acquaintance this past week, and as we were introducing ourselves, we told one another brief versions of our life stories. Very typical for when you are meeting someone new. He told me the story of how he grew up in a non-practicing Jewish home. He went to college to party it up. He eventually met a girl who grew up in a Christian home, but at the time she wasn’t living in line with God’s heart or the way of Jesus. Little by little, though, God was at work. The girl’s Christian background and family influenced them both. They got married and moved to a major city where he hoped to make it big in the world of journalism and broadcasting. God was still at work, and my new friend eventually knew he needed to seek God. So he walked through the doors of a local church, and the people there led him to become a disciple of Jesus. He was in his 20s at the time, and now he had a new hope.
What about you? Do you feel that something in your life is dead and needs God’s renewing power? Know this: hope is not lost. In God there is always hope of new life! Return to him. I heard someone suggest recently that during the last 18 months, so many of us, because of Covid lockdowns and quarantines, have spent a lot of time watching TV, social media, Netflix, and all the other streaming services, and we have been changed. Our attention has become accustomed to screens. Is it possible that is true of you? I know it is true of me. So easy to just sit on my phone and watch videos. So much TV to watch. You can stream shows while you’re driving.
I wonder if God is thinking, “What about me?” What will it look like to turn to him as sustaining power of our lives. Hope is found in him. Let’s learn the lesson of the eagles and vine. Let’s not be like the vine. Let’s not be like Zedekiah. Let’s turn to God. Make space for God in your life!
Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash
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