Why Are You Sighing?

Ezekiel 12:7

Why are you sighing? That you shall answer because of the news…
Nobody likes bad news. As a matter of fact my consumption of the news is limited because of the over-saturation of negative news. It seems to be one tragedy after the other. Every now and then there are glimpses of good news but they are out numbered by bad news.

Don’t just think because I shelter myself from bad news that it stops the events from happening. Sometimes I need to hear the bad news so I can make adjustments in my life to deal with what might be coming my way.

People in certain parts of California need to hear where the fire is spreading so they can evacuate before it hits their home. People in America need to listen to get updates on the swine flu to see where their children and elderly can get vaccinated. There are impending, potentially catastrophic events we can avoid if we listen to the news.

Ezekiel got the news from God that Jerusalem was about to fall because they had not kept God's commandments and their eyes were fixed on their Father’s idols. God was about to unleash Judgment on his people because they abandoned his commandments.
God told Ezekiel to look at the news of what was headed toward Jerusalem. He told him to:

1. Sigh with a broken heart. We ought to see what’s going on in the world and it break our heart. If we were to really look at the world the way God sees it, we would be weeping. When Jesus looked over Jerusalem and saw the people who looked like sheep without a shepherd, he wept. We’d rather watch American Idol than look at the condition in Somalia or see the murdering in Chicago. What we see in the news ought to break our hearts to move us into action.

2. Sigh with bitterness. Some of the things we see ought to make us angry. We ought to have a righteous indignation over global warming and failing inner-city schools. I think we have a lot of bitter Americans because their ideology is being challenged but God wants us to be bitter because our theology (thoughts about God) has eroded into every human doing what's right in his or her own eyes. God wants us to sigh with bitterness because his people have strayed from him. If we could stop arguing over policies and turn our attention back to righteousness and what is best for humanity I think we could change the news.

A lot of the turmoil we see unfolding is God’s judgment against man for his abuse of the earth, evil towards humanity, and forsaking God’s commandments but the BREAKING NEWS is that we haven’t seen anything yet! Revelation 8: 13As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"

The good news is that we still have time to evacuate before we are consumed by eternal fire. The good news is that there is a cure for sin sickness. The vaccination is the blood of Jesus. If we turn back to God we can avoid catastrophe. For God so Loved the World that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Dear God, thank you for the Good News of Jesus Christ that he came to save the lost, die for the sinner, and defeated death and the grave. That’s Good News! Helps us to get the Word out about this impending danger of your judgments against the wicked before it’s too late. God I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody about Somebody who can save anybody. Help us to save the World through the Good News of Jesus Christ!

In Jesus Name,
Amen!