THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF ME

Today's reading: Ezekiel 37-42

"The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones." Ezekiel 37:1 NLT

Oh, the account of Ezekiel and the valley of dry bones!

I couldn't count the number of sermons I've heard, the number of Bible studies I've sat through, the number of podcasts I've had in my ear--all on the topic of God breathing His breath into the dry bones.

The stillness. The dryness. The lifelessness.

Then, the moving. The shaking. The rattling.

But this morning, none of that.

My focus is this: The Lord took hold of me.

How many times, feel free to put yourself in my place if the shoe fits, do I attempt to keep the Lord at arm's length?

How often do I try to keep God in my nice and neat Sunday box?

How hard do I attempt to limit God and His ways to what I am comfortable with?

How easily might it best be worded, I took hold of the Lord when I needed Him...when I wanted Him...when it would most suit me...when it best fit my plans?

But that's not when miraculous things happen, is it?

That's not when earth-shaking, soul-shaping, life-changing, mountain-moving, eternity-obtaining things occur!

It's only when God takes hold of us that His will is done, His ways are accomplished, His plans are completed.

My prayer for myself, and for you, is that today God takes hold of me. Wholly. Completely. With both hands!