August 28, 2015: SOAP #2094

Scripture: Ezekiel 1:3 …There the hand of the LORD was upon him. Ezekiel 3:14 …with the strong hand of the LORD upon me. Ezekiel 3:22 The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.”

Observation: Three times this phrase is used in today’s reading. It is used four more times in Ezekiel. I think of my dad putting his hand on my shoulder when as a child I walked with him. His hand reassured me of his presence. His hand encouraged me to move along, to keep going. His hand gave me direction as he would gently turn me in the direction we were to go.

Application: I know God does not place a physical hand on my life, but I am finding that recognizing the presence of the Holy Spirit works the same way. The Holy Spirit makes me aware of God’s presence. The Holy Spirit encourages me to move ahead. The Holy Spirit gently urges me which direction to take.   He brings strong thoughts to my mind and does not let me forget them. At first I may not recognize the thoughts as coming from Him, but when they line up with God’s Word and keep returning to my thinking…I soon learn to recognize that He is talking to me.

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, keep talking to me! Keep it up until I get it! Confirm your words to me with the scriptures I read. Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!