"This is a great day for swimming", my son exclaimed, as he shoved the last Trader Joe's chicken nugget in his mouth. I agreed. I couldn't think up enough activities to keep my little energizer bunny busy throughout this summer. And as for today, there was no better way to spend it than wading around in a pool of ice cold water until his miniature-sized fingers and toes pruned. I scrambled around looking for flip-flops and sunscreen, tossed them in our pool bag, and we were off!
As soon as we reached the double doors leading to our destination, I dug down into the deep dark recesses of my oversized purse in search for our membership card. All mommies know that you can never be too prepared wherever you go and as a result what should have been a quick find turned into a scavenger hunt. I pulled out a package of tissues, 3 brands of chapstick (slightly melted), two bottles of water, crayons, a pad of paper, a gameboy, an umbrella, and still it was nowhere to be found! Melting under the blaze of sun rays and feeling the heat of my frustration rise and redden my face, I was folding under pressure and even more so when I noticed someone had been watching it happen. As I slowly looked up from scanning the inside of my purse, there was a man, dressed in a Gold's Gym cut-off shirt and neon green spandex shorts, standing before me. I hadn't realized this but while I was in hot pursuit of my membership card, my son found amusement in lifting up my t-shirt in order to poke at my stomach. And worse still, he was staring into my belly button like a one-eyed pirate peering through a looking glass! The man who must have been observing from afar thought it humorous to come up to us during our fiasco and interject, "There must be something sweet in that tummy!" There was a moment of silence as I didn't know how to respond. Instead, I turned around in embarrassment and laughed nervously. Thankfully, he walked away and was never to be seen or heard from again. Later that evening, however, I reflected upon the incident and a passage I had been reading from the book of Ezekiel the night before came to mind.
The passage reads, "And He [God] said to me [Ezekiel], 'Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.' So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness" (Ezekiel 3:3). The context of this scripture goes back to a time in history when the nation of Israel was in rebellion against God. God called out one man, Ezekiel, to lead his generation out of captivity. In preparation to do so, God told him to eat a scroll which contained the message Ezekiel was to share with God's children.
I began to ponder upon the parallels between this scripture and the comment made by the man at the pool earlier that day. As ridiculous as it sounds, I wondered if I did in fact have something sweet in my stomach that had nothing to do with the ice cream cone I ate earlier, but everything to do with the source of spiritual sustenance. I'm referring, of course, to the sweet honeycomb known as the word of God. Ezekiel may have literally eaten the words penned on papyrus, but we are called to read it and receive it. After Ezekiel feeds on the scroll, God tells him, "Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears" (Ezekiel 3:10). To "receive with our hearts" and "hear with our ears" requires our full and undivided attention as the Holy Spirit quickens our understanding. We can't skim through the bible and expect to receive "all of [His] words". We must shut out the noise and distractions, get alone with God, and read, anticipating to hear His voice. Matthew 4:4 states, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" It goes without saying that just as our bodies require physical nourishment, our spiritual make-up requires the bread of life--not once a week or every other sunday, but everyday!
God's word is designed to equip us for every good work just as it did for Ezekiel. It wasn't until Ezekiel "filled his stomach" with the scroll that he would be prepared to prophecy to the house of Israel. Once He did so, God commanded in Ezekiel 3:11, "And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord God,' whether they hear, or whether they refuse." Being washed by the word of God is an essential and practical application for every believer. Although it requires discipline and time, we should be good stewards of both if we have any chance of impacting our spheres of influence. Ezekiel wouldn't be able to prophecy to the house of Israel if he hadn't received the words to speak. In the same manner, the Holy Spirit grants us the power to speak into the lives of others through divine revelation rooted in the word of God. It is through our meditation and study of God's word that the Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance scripture that may pertain to our circumstances or the circumstances of others. But, preparation is key. 2 Timothy 4:2 states, "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." Be ready in season and out of season to preach the word of God. You never know when God will use you to minister to others.
And how sweet are the words that proceed from our mouths when we proclaim the good news! "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones" (Proverbs 16:24). Our speech reflects what we meditate on. "For out of the abundance of the heart [our] mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45b). If we ruminate on God's word, we will fill our palate, our hearts, and our stomachs with a sweet savory flavor. Even the psalmist of Psalm 119 states, "How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103) Scripture is not only delicious but nutritious! God's word fueled by the Holy Spirit restores and regenerates those who were once dead in their transgressions. He desires that we be made whole and complete as we fill our tummies and satiate our appetites with nourishment that only He can provide. He will bring health to our bones as mentioned in Proverbs 16:24.
And this was exactly God's intent when he sent Ezekiel to prophecy to the house of Israel. He desired to redeem the generation that was led into exile, free them from their captivity, and draw them unto Himself so they might find safety and shade in the shadow of His wings. Ezekiel was the conduit and catalyst whom God used to intercede on behalf of this rebellious nation. How can God use us in this way? For one, we can examine our stomach (and I mean that figuratively, of course). If we fill ourselves up with and delight in God's word, it will bring "sweetness to the soul". Our speech will reflect the words we feast upon and others will taste and see that the Lord is good! As the saying goes, "you are what you eat", may we also be a little more like Jesus every time we sink our teeth into the tender morsels of sweet truth! I'm beginning to think that the man at the pool may be right, there is something sweet in me, and His name is Jesus Christ!
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