Do We Dare Ask?

Ezekiel prophesied the destruction of Egypt by the hands of the Babylonians, revealing God's purposes.

One purpose was to humble Egypt and Pharaoh (30:6). Her pride and idolatry would be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar's army.

A second purpose was to reward Babylon. God had used the mighty, unstoppable Babylonian army to accomplish His purposes with many nations, including Judah. The plunder of Egypt was to provide payment for their services (29:17-20).

Throughout this prophecy, God repeats, "Then they shall know that I am the LORD."

God's purpose centers around proclaiming His name and bringing glory to Himself.

Can we read the newspaper asking ourselves, "How is God glorifying Himself through these events?"

Or do we look at the events of our own lives and ask, "How is God glorifying Himself through these events?"

We believe that God is sovereign and that He is acting according to His plan to bring glory to Himself. Therefore, we should be able to ask ourselves that question all the time.

The question should motivate us toward obedience. God is sovereign. God's goal is to bring glory to Himself. That should be my goal, too.

So we should dare to ask ourselves the same question when we are making decisions: "How will God be able to glorify Himself if I make this decision?"

That should be our first question, since glorifying God should be our primary motivation.