February 2, 2018
Ezekiel 47:6
He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”
CONSIDER THIS
“Do you see this?” That’s the question.
Be mindful, Ezekiel is seeing a vision, but we must remember where sight comes from. Remember where we began: “On the fifth of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel” (Ezek. 1:2-3).
Seeing comes from hearing—the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel. In fact, faith comes by hearing. It makes sense. Scripture says we walk by faith and not by sight. We exist in a world where seeing is believing, but we live in a kingdom that is just the opposite: believing is seeing. We hear. We believe. We see. Scripture speaks regularly about having ears to hear and eyes to see, noting how common it is to look and not see, to hear and not listen.
The Holy Spirit wills to give a new and ever-growing kind of perception to all who will humble themselves to receive it. The reason so many are so cynical about the possibilities of awakening in our day is they lack this holy kind of perception. Cynicism comes from the defeat of idealism—which is our best vision for how things should work out. The Holy Spirit does not offer idealism. The kingdom of God is not built on utopian ideals. It’s not the eradication of brokenness, but its beautification. The kingdom of heaven is the right now reality, ever hovering over the present state of affairs, waiting to break in with awakening, redemption, and the reversal of all that is broken and desecrated.
The Spirit of God awaits those who are humble enough to hear the Word of God and bold enough to speak of the vision. That’s why, in the old days, the words and visions from God came to the prophets. We, however, live in the new days, the age of the Spirit. Remember what Peter proclaimed on the day of Pentecost:
In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
(Acts 2:17)
“Do you see this?” That’s the question. Don’t wait for the vision. Begin by believing it.
THE PRAYER
Come Holy Spirit and open the eyes of our hearts. We want to see the unseen real. We confess we have waited to see before we would believe. Show us what it would mean for us to believe first, and to move out in action before we see. We are ready to be those kind of people—people of real faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.
THE QUESTIONS
- Are you ready to walk by the sight that comes by faith?
- Are you open to the kind of holy perception only the Holy Spirit can give? Share with your Band your sense of what this means.
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J.D. Walt, is a Bond Slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. jd.walt@seedbed.com.