A lament about lions? – Ezekiel 19, Part 3

Now that we have taken time to understand lament here and here, we return to Ezekiel chapter 19, verse 1, where we learn that God is asking Ezekiel to deliver a lament.  Notice that this lament is the opposite of the psalms of lament.  In the psalms of the lament, David and the other psalmistContinue reading “A lament about lions? – Ezekiel 19, Part 3”

When you cry out to God, and he doesn’t seem to answer – Ezekiel 19, Part 2

Jesus lamented. He was hurting deeply, and he expressed that hurt to God. We don’t normally think about Jesus like that, complaining to God. Yet arguably the most famous example of spoken lament comes from Psalm 22, where the psalmist, David, writes, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  It’s famous because JesusContinue reading “When you cry out to God, and he doesn’t seem to answer – Ezekiel 19, Part 2”

Crying as a spiritual practice – Ezekiel 19, Part 1

I recently attended the baptism of my niece.  It was wonderful to hear her share the story of her faith in Christ, her commitment to him, and why she wanted to be baptized.  There was so much joy as my brother-in-law baptized her.  That moment when she rose up out of the water, as itContinue reading “Crying as a spiritual practice – Ezekiel 19, Part 1”

Fight or Flight: How do you handle pain? – Ezekiel 19, Preview

What do you do when you are upset?  It is fascinating to me how differently we humans handle our pain.  Have you ever heard of “fight or flight”?  While there are other ways to handle pain, fight or flight are two common ones.  The fighters among us tend to get aggressive and confront the painContinue reading “Fight or Flight: How do you handle pain? – Ezekiel 19, Preview”

Why we need a new heart and a new spirit, and how to get them – Ezekiel 18, Part 5

Editor’s Note: I’m thankful to guest blogger Brandon Hershey for this week’s study of Ezekiel 18! In God’s words to the Jews in Ezekiel 18 (which we started studying here), God does not want to see us suffer the consequences of our sin. Instead, he wants to see us repent and live. Unlike the exilesContinue reading “Why we need a new heart and a new spirit, and how to get them – Ezekiel 18, Part 5”