September 8
September 8
In the presence of the Lord we find life, peace, security, and eternal hope.
I love how the book of Ezekiel ends. If you were the most creative writer ever, you could not write a better ending than this. This is infinitely better than the fairy-tale ending “And they lived happily ever after.” This ending not only gets at the core hope for the people of God; it hits even deeper and wider. It gets at why God created humanity in his own image and placed them in the lovely garden of Eden. It reaches to where we are meant to find our identity, purpose, and meaning. It is spoken to the people of old, but rings just as powerfully hopeful for us today. It is expansively glorious, yet practically transformational at the same time.
As the book of Ezekiel ends, we find ourselves at the end of the prophet’s extended vision of the rebuilding of the temple and the city, and the distribution of territory to the tribes of Israel. The final word of the vision is the final word of the book of Ezekiel: “And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There” (Ezek. 48:35). There could be no better name for the city of the people of God. This name captures all that God intends to do as he brings them back from captivity, not only restoring them to their land but, more importantly, reconciling them to himself. Here is their identity. They are the people with whom God has chosen to dwell. Here is their hope. No matter what hardships they might face, they will never face them alone. Here is their life. Their Creator, provider, protector, Redeemer, and guide lives forever in their midst. Here is where they find meaning. Everything in their life is infused with new meaning because of the presence, power, and promises of their Lord. Here is where they find their purpose. Everything in their life is meant to be shaped by the worship of the glorious one who has chosen to be there with them.
“The Lord Is There” stands as a forever reminder of who they are by glorious, undeserved grace. God, in all his glory, is what makes this city holy and wonderful. Every place is sanctified if the Lord is there.
Sin separates us from God, just as it separated the children of Israel. Our natural state is to be without hope and without God in the world. So, God sent his Son to live a perfect life, to die an acceptable death, and to rise again, all for us, so that there would no longer be any separation between us and God. What we never could have earned is ours by atoning, justifying grace. God now lives inside of us in the person of the Holy Spirit. We too find our identity, security, life, hope, meaning, and purpose in the Lord. If you were to write a name over the people of God, the church, there would be no better choice than “The Lord Is There.” We are what we are and what we’ll one day be because “The Lord Is There.” He is our identity and eternal hope.