Making Himself Known

"Thus says the LORD: I will prove the holiness of my great name. Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the LORD GOD, when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.” (Ezekiel 36:23)

God is telling Ezekiel that he is going to show his holiness through his people, through us! Ezekiel lived before the time of Christ and so this is how God made himself known, through his prophets. And the same holds true for us today, we are all called to be prophets. In order for us to experience God in the flesh and in a tangible way, he uses his people in a way that allows us to experience Him in a very real way. God made us sensual being, we experience love through our senses by the warmth of someone’s touch or their words of comfort, we see compassion and love in each other’s eyes. One way that many people show their love is through food, making someone their favorite dessert or favorite meal.

The Lord goes on to tell Ezekiel how he is going to make this possible. “I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors; you shall be my people, and I shall be your God.” (36:25-28)

God can use each one of us to make His kingdom present here on earth. But we have to allow him to change us into the person we were created to be. We need to be docile and allow the Holy Spirit to infuse us with his wisdom to open our eyes and our hearts so that we can see the many opportunities God gives us each and every day to be his hands and feet. How amazing that God uses us to show himself to the world. It takes love to do this. Just think of the times when it would be so easy to step in and make things right and show everyone how “good” we are but instead we patiently wait and offer guidance so that someone else can learn and succeed at the task. And from that love we offer them, we experience joy at seeing them succeed. That sense of mastery is a gift we have given that person. My youngest son is learning to drive and every time we go somewhere he wants to drive. I know that it would often be quicker and less stressful for me to just drive. But as I step back and allow him to drive, I see the excitement that he feels from doing it himself. I see the confidence that he is gaining by the opportunities that he has had driving on the freeway, at night or in the rain. And it is teaching me to be patient, gentle and to let go of my desire to always be in control.

God does the same thing. He could easily show his power and majesty in so many big ways but he chooses to use us. He patiently guides us and encourages us. Especially when we feel like he is asking us to do something we think will be too difficult. But yet, when we are open to his help and are able to complete the task, there is a sense of gratitude to God and a desire to be steadfast to His will. God draws us back to himself and reminds us, “you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” (36:28)