Ezekiel was one of the people taken into captivity by the Babylonians. The people of Israel had been disobedient to God for generations, and they ignored God’s warnings through many prophets. Finally, after hundreds of years, God did what He said He would do if they didn’t repent, He kicked them out of the Promised Land. God always does what He says He will do.

Ezekiel is inaugurated into the ministry as a prophet by a radical vision of the throne room of God. Ezekiel’s description of what he sees leaves us wondering about what it looked like. He is using human language to describe things that transcend human understanding. One of the things I look forward to about going to heaven is seeing these things and understanding what they are what they mean. In the meantime, we must strive to interpret and understand as well as we are able.

It is Ezekiel’s response to this vision that I would like to reflect on briefly in this writing. His response to the heavenly vision was to fall on his face. In our modern western culture, we do not have anything that compares to this. In some places, people bow as a sign of deference to someone in a superior position or authority. Ezekiel’s actions here are an indication that recognizes that he is in the presence of absolute holiness. I do not believe this was a voluntary response. Like the involuntary gasp when your body is immersed in very cold water, Ezekiel fell on his face because it was all he could do.

The people of Israel were in Babylon because they would not bow their heart to God in faith and obedience. Instead, they did what they wanted and worshipped gods that were not real. Each of us must check our hearts and make sure we are not following a similar pattern as the people of Israel. God expects us to worship Him and Him alone. To worship anything other than Him is to trust in something or someone who has no power to do anything for us.
Ezekiel’s vision is amazing, and it stirs in me an excitement to see what he saw for myself. Because I have put my trust in Christ, I know that is my destiny. However long it will be until that happens, I want to be preparing myself for that moment. We prepare for heaven by walking in faith and obedience here on the earth. But not just that. Ezekiel’s response was an expression of humility in the presence of God’s holiness.

Humility before God is the natural response of true faith and obedience. One of the challenges with being humble before God today is the nature within us that resists humility. True humility comes as we allow God the Holy Spirit to change us and make us into better reflections of Christ. We WILL do it in heaven, but we should learn to do it here on the earth. It blesses God and in turn He blesses us. Jesus, help us to humble ourselves to Your holiness today!

Read: Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalm 104:1-23; Proverbs 26:24-26