The Lord's Goal (01/09/26)
"Thus says the Lord God: 'Although I have cast them far off among the gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them
in the countries where they have gone'" (Ezekiel 11: 16).
The Lord cares about our eternal happiness.
...This does not mean that the Lord doesn't care about our happiness in this world; it can't mean He abandons us to experience all the struggles of life on our own, much less that they are part of His plan to test our endurance. Our God cares about our eternal happiness more than our temporary happiness in this world, it's true, but He is preserving us even while we are in this world, leading us within the context of our lives, through the good states and the bad, toward the kingdom
of heaven. He is with us every moment, working with all His Divine means to provide for us. It's just that the manifestation of that Providence will not necessarily mean a smooth and totally uncomplicated life.
[The above text] speaks to where the Children of Israel found themselves: feeling punished because of their choices, and attributing those punishments to God. And yet, if we look closely, the Lord had not given up on them. He allowed them to feel the consequences of their choices, but He said, "I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone" (Ezekiel
11: 16). In effect He said, "I will still be with them, preserving them, and leading them." He went on to say, just one verse later, "I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel" (Ezekiel 11: 17). Even after all the many times they had failed to keep the Lord's commandments, even though they had disregarded the many prophets whom the Lord had sent to warn them, still He was willing to work with them, to
give them another chance to return to Him. Their national sanctuary, the temple in Jerusalem, was no longer available to them, but the Lord promised to be "a little sanctuary" for them in the countries where they had been scattered. What an amazing reflection of His mercy!
Many events in our lives can lead us to feeling similarly scattered. It could be due to the process of growing old and feeling less active and useful, wondering what's left in life. Here again the Lord promises to be a little sanctuary, to show ways in which such a person can feel useful and be reminded of the blessings
in his or her life. A scattered state of mind could come about because of some evil which has been active in our lives for a long time, slowly eroding our sense of happiness and peace. Someone who feels inclined to twist the truth as a habit may eventually reach this state, during which he feels isolated from people he once considered friends, friends who can no longer trust the things they hear from that person. It is an unpleasant realization that we are responsible for some of our own
suffering. And yet in all of these states, the Lord is there, as a little sanctuary, speaking to us, causing us to become aware of these issues and leading us forward toward a new way of life.
This is what the Lord reminds us of by means of the prophet Ezekiel: His providence, His guidance throughout our lives, His efforts to remove us from sadness and the consequences of evil, and to lead us toward eternal happiness in heaven.
The Lord is always there as a little sanctuary, working to instruct us and help
us in whatever challenges we face. All that He asks is that we turn to Him and cooperate with Him as He tries to help us. As that Psalm concludes, "Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You" (Psalm 33:20-22). [PMB, NCL - EDM edit)
