Speaking as God Helps Us

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Kirsten Holmberg and I titled our reading, Speaking as God Helps Us. One wouldn't normally think of butterflies as being loud creatures. After all, the flapping of a single monarch butterfly's wings is practically inaudible.

But in the Mexican rainforest, where many of them begin their short lives, their collective flapping is surprisingly loud. When millions of monarchs flap their wings at the same time, it sounds like a rushing waterfall. The same description is made when four very different winged creatures appear in Ezekiel's vision.

Though fewer than the number of butterflies, he likens the sound of their flapping wings to the roar of rushing waters. When the creatures stood still and lowered their wings, Ezekiel heard the voice of God calling him to speak God's words to the Israelites. Ezekiel, like the other Old Testament prophets, was charged with the task of speaking truth to God's people. Today, God asks us all to share the truth of his good work in our lives with those he puts around us. Sometimes we'll be asked a direct question, an invitation to share that's as loud as a waterfall. Other times, the invitation might be more of a whisper, such as seeing an unspoken need. Whether the invitation to share God's love is as loud as a million butterflies or as quiet as just one, we must listen, as Ezekiel did, with ears tuned to hear what God wants us to say.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Ezekiel chapter 1, verses 22 through 28. Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault, sparkling like crystal and awesome. Under the vault, their wings were stretched out, one toward the other, and each had two wings covering its body. When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of rushing waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire, and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking. Let's pray. Thank you, Father, for inviting us to share about you with others. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Kirsten Holmberg, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.