Jan. 11 - The Wheel in a Wheel

From the First Lesson for this day - Ezekiel 1:15-2:2

One of my favorite spirituals is "Ezekiel Saw De Wheel." I have an old LP with the Tuskegee Institute Choir singing this spiritual in a manner that is so vital that I get wrapped up in the interlocking harmonies - almost as if being wrapped up in a "wheel in a wheel."

I've always wondered what the point of this was. As I wrote yesterday, there has been too much analysis of Ezekiel and his visions rather than taking them for what they are.

At the same time, I've been honestly curious about what the wheels mean.

The answer is akin to so many other passages in Scripture. After the grand and glorious appearing of God in His majesty, the revelation comes as it came to Ezekiel:
"the Spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that spake unto me" (2:2)

As comfortable and at ease I feel in my relationship with God, He still has to get my attention. It's like home. I'm at ease and comfortable at home, but in my ease it can be easy not to hear the needs of Karen or my family. Sometimes it takes a call or a noise or a sense of urgency to shake me out of my comfort zone to respond.

On a spiritual level, I can get comfortable with the ways God wants to work, with the ways I expect Him to work. I love the glories of His Creation, but I don't love the things that confront my sins. I am in awe of the peaceful presence of God on a quiet morning, but I shy away from the needs of the world that God calls me to serve.

Considering the magnitute of Ezekiel's ministry, the glorious vision of God given to him in Chapter 1 are the perfect prologue to those simple words:
"the Spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that spake unto me"

In baptism, by faith, the Spirit has entered my life. In so many ways over the last 35 years, the Spirit has spoken to me. I can't describe the number of times He has set me back on my feet after I've fallen.

May I hear Him when He speaks to me.