SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 9:3-4, 6 NIV Then the LORD called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it….do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.”
THOUGHT: Consider the difference between the mark of the beast according to Revelation 13:16, and the mark of God – invisible to man but seen by angels. In this prophetic vision of Ezekiel, God marks those who grieve and lament over detestable things happening in their city and nation, and why? So they will be spared from death.
Remembering that God knows the contents of each heart is both a comfort and a warning. God has not missed what is going on in our cities and nation – beginning with what goes on in his sanctuary. And he is also keenly watching the reactions of our hearts. Are we grieving and lamenting like God most certainly is?
PRAYER: God, I pray that we might not fear lament or hide grief beneath anger, passivity, or a forced smile. To you, grief and lament aren’t weakness.
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