Ezekiel 7:23-27. This reading is only a few verses past my reading yesterday. When this happens, I know that God is trying to tell me something. Here God says because the land is full of bloody crimes and violence, He will bring the worst of the nations to conquer it. He will put an end to his people's proud might, and their holy places shall be profaned. They will seek peace from their anguish, but none will come. Disaster will follow upon disaster. They will seek guidance in visions from prophets; in the law from priests; and in good counsel from the elders; but all of these people and things will fail as well. The people will be in terror, the king in mourning, the prince will be wrapped in despair. "According to their ways I will do to them, and according to their own judgments I will judge them; and they shall know that I am the Lord."

I worried that my post yesterday was a bit too dire, but God is reinforcing his words to me today. The horror and the terror have begun. Two days ago, God told Jeremiah not to bother praying for the people, He would not listen. Yesterday and today He tells Ezekiel of the terror and horror that are coming. He is telling us this, too. My readings are random to me, but not to Him - He is definitely telling me something.

So I know it has begun, and I know it will get worse. But there is a purpose to it all - to bring us all back. And we all have a role to play. Not to sit on the fence, or to seek shelter, but to get out and to be His light to the world, at any cost. Mark Mallett's blog post from yesterday is along the same lines. Let's do this, we know for whom we are fighting, and we know who wins!