Our verses today are a perfect example of the Word of God and the Spirit of God working in tandem to enable the believer. First comes the Word of the Lord: “And He said unto me, Stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.” In these words, we find both a commandment and a promise. Often in God's Word, He gives instruction and promise within the same breath. If we adhere to the command, we will receive the promise. Yet, God sometimes asks us to do very difficult, even seemingly impossible, things.
For Ezekiel, it appeared a simple task to stand. However, after witnessing the vision and awe of God’s holiness described in chapter one, he was unable to stand. How many times have you read God's commands and thought they seemed simple, yet found yourself lacking the strength to carry them out? I remember reading the command to believe on the Lord, and though I tried my best, my faith often faltered. It's like a blind man wishing to see or a deaf man trying to hear—despite their will, their desires cannot make it happen.
So it was with the prophet, and so it is with us. We are unable to save ourselves, sanctify ourselves, or even carry out the simplest commands from the Lord. Yet, the Lord commands, “Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see” (Isaiah 42:18).
First comes the command, followed by the realization of our inability. Yet, suddenly, the prophet finds an unknown strength to fulfill the command. This strength is not his own; it came all at once: “The Spirit entered into me when He spake unto me.” As the Word of God was given, the Spirit of God worked in tandem to empower the prophet to obey. God's Word does not come alone to the believer but brings the power to carry out the commands within it. Many times, as I have read His Word, an instant that seemed like an impossible task was met with a newfound desire to obey and a power previously unknown to me.
What is this power? It is the power that works within us, through which God does exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think: “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).
Our verses end with the weak-kneed prophet standing, not by his own strength but by the strength of the Spirit and the Word of God. Not only did he stand, but he also heard: “That I heard Him.” This implies that had God not strengthened him, he would not have had an ear to hear. Dear Believer, that is how we stand in our weaknesses and inability. As the song says, “I can’t even walk without Him holding my hand.” We stand by the Word He has spoken to us and by the Spirit that dwells within us. We have an ear to hear today because He has given us the strength to hear. Romans 11:36 tells us: “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things.” This is true of all things, including ourselves. Do you remember the moment Christ called you forth from the grave? When the Word came with power, as it did for Paul, and by faith you came to the grace of God in which you now stand (Romans 5:2)? If not, perhaps today is the day the Lord has spoken to your soul through His Word and the conviction of His Spirit. Hear His words today and believe: “And He said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the Spirit entered into me when He spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard Him that spake unto me.”
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