Lesson 4

More Comments on Chapter One

This post is final comments on our study of Ezekiel Chapter One.
Then we will go on to study Chapter 2.

Now on to this week's study.
A little review is beneficial.
In conclusion of the last devotion we mentioned that
"In Verse 28 when Ezekiel saw the Lord and His glory,
He fell on His face"
I also mentioned how
"in past years, great men of God sought God on rough floors on their face".
That is a heritage that needs to be restored!

Now for some further thoughts.
I have read that in the midst of winter,
one man of God dropped on his knees,
outdoors in the winter and had a time of prayer.
It was told by witnesses that though it was freezing out
that he prayed so intently that the snow melted all
around him for a large space.

Another man of God said something to the effect that;
"after praying for lost souls
if you do not feel like you just did 8 hours of intense labor
then you were not praying hard enough."

I am doing these quotes from memory.
It might have been more then 8 hours.

Most of the church world has quite a ways to go to get back to that.

But WOW!
Compared to these 2 people of faith in Church history
(sorry I don't remember their names)
I have a long ways to go.
No, maybe we do not need to pray in the snow and maybe not all of us even
when praying intently will feel like we have done hard labor for many hours
but they are good examples to us.

In fact Jesus prayed many times all night to the next morning.
Instead of being tired and weak the next morning, this empowered Him.
Also, in the garden of Gethsemane' Jesus prayed till he sweat drops of blood.
That is a rare medical condition where a person is under so much pressure
that the smallest blood vessels near the skin break
and bleed out through the skin pores with the sweat.

So Jesus our example did get very intense in both
His praying and His obeying His Heavenly Father.

So much the more we should strive to be obedient
and not only have a good prayer life
but go into intercession for the hurting and lost.

Let us all strive towards Jesus's example!
Amen!