Zeke and me...

So, I just have to share a sweet, encouraging thing God’s done…those “reminder, He’s got a plan” kinda things.

This morning I was looking for a scripture in Ezekiel. It was for something else, non labyrinth related, and I knew what I was looking for was in Ezekiel, but just couldn’t remember the specific reference, other than it was somewhere chapter 40ish. Then I did remember that I had it underlined in an old Bible of mine. SO, I got that out and started looking thru the underlined parts. Well, before I even got to the part I was looking for, this is what I found…

Ezekiel 42:16-20 ~ NIV

 He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits. He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits^; by the measuring rod. He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.

The underlining is mine. It stopped me right there….and that’s why and what I have to share with you. See? This was underlined years ago…pre-labyrinth thinking for me. Waaaaay before this whole thing started, but not for God. I can’t remember why I would have underlined those particular lines, but I did! And now, the labyrinth is on the east side of our house, separate from the rest of the yard, the alley and the street…separate from the common. Because God knew this would all be there one day.

I’ve shared with y’all how the rocks for the paths were already over there, the bamboo was planted in just the right places and all the other things that were “just right”. The beauty that stuck me today was that His word was there before, too. Underlined and all! The book of Ezekiel isn’t one that you hear quoted very often, I know. But, over the years God has used this book of the Bible to assure and encourage me, so this was particularly special to me.

As I have spent the last few days bagging up all the bamboo leaves, it gave me plenty of time to think….and to listen, too. His Word really is living and active and that means now. Not only that It was “active” when it was written, but now ~ today. The only thing that keeps us seeing and living in that “now”, is to be actively reading and studying His Word. Just like the labyrinth, which became buried under leaves so the paths were indistinguishable, our lives do that, too. We get buried under plans and schedules and stuff. It takes effort, intentional effort, to rake out the things that keep us from seeing God’s path for us. And really? We only need to see the next step, not the whole itinerary.

 Now that you have taken care to purify your souls through your submission to the truth, you can experience real love for each other. So love each other deeply from a [pure] heart. ²³ You have been reborn—not from seed that eventually dies but from seed that is eternal—through the Word of God that lives and endures forever.

I Peter 1:22 & 23  ~ The Voice Version