The Joy of Divine Timing
Welcome back. I’m filled with joy today—not just because you’re here, and not only because my second book, Hearing God’s Voice, is now available on Amazon—but because God continues to orchestrate moments that confirm we are walking in His will. This morning, I learned my book had gone live. Then I opened my Bible to Ezekiel 17–20, and the connection was unmistakable. God speaks through Scripture, through circumstance, and through confirmation.
Parables and Allegories
Ezekiel 17:2 begins with a divine instruction:
“Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable.” (NIV)
God then gives Ezekiel a poetic parable involving an eagle breaking off a branch and carrying it away. The meaning is complex: God planted Israel in the promised land, but because of rebellion, He let others carry them into bondage—first in Egypt, and now again into Babylon. This echoes themes we’ve seen in Jeremiah and now in Ezekiel.

What struck me is how this mirrors Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13, especially the parable of the sower and the vine. Jesus explains His use of parables by saying:
“Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 13:9, NIV)
Parables are not just stories—they are spiritual filters. They reveal truth to the humble and conceal it from the proud.
Hearing and Healing
I have a family member who has been deaf since birth. She navigates life with grace and strength. Though offered cochlear implants and other modern technologies—including AI-powered devices and regenerative medicine—she has lived without auditory input. I admire her resolve.

Most people seek fast fixes. I once learned about the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill, a device developed by NASA to help astronauts train in reduced gravity. I found a physical therapy clinic near my home that had one, and I worked for ten months to regain movement and balance. It wasn’t a miracle cure, but it helped. I still rely on crutches or a wheelchair, but I have gained strength and stability.

In life, there are no shortcuts. Healing—physical or spiritual—requires effort, patience, and surrender.
Personal Responsibility
Ezekiel 18 emphasizes personal accountability:
“The soul who sins is the one who will die.” (Ezekiel 18:20, NIV)
The people questioned God’s justice.
“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’” (Ezekiel 18:25, NIV)
This sounds absurd, but I hear it often: “How can a loving God send people to hell?” The real question is: Why doesn’t He send all of us?
“There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:10, NIV)
But God, in His mercy, made a way for those who would listen. The problem is that many hear the Gospel and dismiss it as foolishness.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.” (1 Corinthians 1:18, NIV)
Why? Because their hearts are hard, or they’re too distracted by the noise of the world.
Freedom in Christ
The world tells us to enjoy life. I enjoy mine—because of the freedom I have in Christ. Not freedom to sin, but freedom from sin.

When I used the treadmill, I could walk with a natural gait for the first time in forty years. I watched my feet on a monitor—heel strike, toe push-off. But I could only do that while the device held me steady. It gave me freedom to move, but not freedom to leave the clinic unaided.

That’s how I imagine it would be if my sister regained hearing. It might confuse her, since she’s never known sound. And when the device failed, her disability could become a handicap—something she had already overcome.
Spiritual Deafness
Sin holds the world back. It dulls spiritual hearing. People hear what they want and believe what comforts them—even if it’s a lie. Like the Israelites sacrificing to wooden idols in high places, they didn’t want to hear the prophets’ warnings. Acknowledging the truth would mean giving up what they’d grown comfortable with.

Even when Jesus walked among them, they resisted His words because they loved their sinful ways.
“Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19, NIV)
When you’ve trained yourself to walk in the dark, you resist the light. You develop selective hearing—like when a wife doesn’t hear her husband but hears a cat meowing outside.
Are We Listening?
Today’s reading begins with parables and ends with this lament:
“Ah, Sovereign Lord! They are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?’” (Ezekiel 20:49, NIV)
Yes, but those parables carry wisdom. The question is not whether God is speaking. The question is: Are we listening?
Tomorrow, we will read Ezekiel 21-23.
Bibliography

The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.

The Holy Bible, King James Version. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1769.

“AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill.” NASA Technology Transfer Program. Accessed August 22, 2025. https://www.nasa.gov/technology/alterg-treadmill..

“Hearing Loss Statistics.” World Health Organization. Accessed August 22, 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss..