A lament....

A lament...

Ezekiel 19:10-14 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water. 

Its branches were strong, fit for a ruler’s scepter.

It towered high above the thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches. 

But it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground.The east wind made it shrivel, it was stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire consumed them. 

Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land. Fire spread from one of its main branches and consumed its fruit. 

No strong branch is left on it fit for a ruler’s scepter.’

"This is a lament and is to be used as a lament.” 

I woke up with this scripture in my mind...

Yesterday as the day passed from morning to afternoon, the clouds darkened and darkened over our dry and thirsty land, until a beautiful rainbow appeared in the east sky and the the skies opened up with a torrent of rain...the earth quickly soaking up the moisture that it needs so desperately. And this morning, it is crystal clear...

This year we have had the dry winds, the fires, the dryness, but the gardens have flourished in the continued warmth...

But this passage is about so much more than our summer weather..it is about  flourishing ending in downfall...fruitfulness to withering, abundance to emptiness, strong to weak, heights to the ground .. A lament of a nation, a person, when they or he/she has gone down...and nothing is left ...

What a sad ending to popularity, pride, heights of profession, seeking other gods, turning away from God...a lament....

thank YOU for Your word as constant reminders of how easy it is to fall, to go from the mountain tops to the valleys of life.. .help me keep my eyes focused on You and Your ever present love...