Christian Devotional – March 23, 2017

Continuing to read through Ezekiel, we come to chapter 30. In this chapter God shares with Ezekiel a lament about the people of Egypt. The people of Egypt have not followed the Lord and they have not turned toward him. God explains the he will not continue to allow the people of Egypt to do what they have been doing. Even though they’ve been sinning, we should lament for them. God then explains that he’s going to use the country of Babylon to exact judgment and Punishment upon the people of Egypt.

It can seem odd that God uses various countries that seem evil to do his work or to exact judgement upon other people. But it is important to remember, that nothing in this world happens outside of God’s control or outside of God’s knowledge. God has complete and absolute control and he understands and knows all things. He is not surprised about situations and as a result, God can use situations and circumstances as a way to further his glory. We may never understand why God uses one country to punish another country. We may never understand why God allows one country to judge another country. But it does not change the fact that God does it. When we stop allowing God to deal with our sin directly and bring us to a place of repentance, God begins to use other forces in the world to influence us. Are we open to God being direct with us?