“behold, I am for you,” Ezekiel 35:9
I don’t know if you have noticed in the last few weeks, but God seems to say, “You shall know that I am the LORD”, a lot. And it seems to always come after He has said that He would do something. Take 35:4 for example. God has just pronounced desolation and waste over Mount Seir and then finished the pronouncement with “and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
Then again in 35:15, “As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so I will deal with you; you shall be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”
I find it interesting to look at the subjects of this verse. Look carefully and you find two. There are the people to whom He is speaking, Mount Seir and all Edom. But then there are also, “they that will know that He is the LORD.” And according to this verse, who do you suppose this “they” is referring to? Israel of course; they’re the ones that Mount Seir and all Edom mocked. In this passage of prophecy God is proclaiming over the enemies of Israel, certain destruction. And that destruction of the enemies of Israel will prove to Israel and their enemies that He is Yahweh.
Every time that this phrase has been spoken by our creator in the past few weeks I have marveled at it. I will sit there and just stare at it for a few moments. You see, there’s this thing we call faith. It’s defined in Hebrews 11:1 as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is where we read a promise that God makes in His word, like, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) and then choosing to believe that it is the truth because our God Yahweh said it.
But then there’s this time that we come upon, where the Truth feels like it’s not the truth. Where the promise feels like it’s been forgotten. And doubt begins to creep in. We think: “God’s Word says that He is always with me, but it certainly doesn’t feel like He is with me right now. In fact it certainly feels like I’ve been forsaken and forgotten.” You have to know that that is how the Israelites felt at this point. They’ve been scattered from their homeland, their Promised Land. They’ve become the neighborhood laughing stock and everyone is talking and evil gossiping about them. They certainly don’t feel like Yahweh is with them let alone for them.
But He is. They are His people; He adores them, no matter how many stupid things they do. But more importantly than that, He is Yahweh, a God of His Word. He is the one that says “I have spoken and I will do it”. (Ezekiel 37:14)
Do you feel like you’ve been abandoned by God? Have you stood up for Him and are now getting persecuted for it? Are people saying things about you or your ministry that just simply aren’t true, but they sound good to itchy ears? Guess what. He is Yahweh. He has PROMISED never to leave you or forsake you, no matter how many stupid things you do. He is Yahweh, God of His Word. He has spoken and will do what He speaks, because He is Yahweh. He IS with YOU, He has not forsaken you, so fear not. While things may feel “fallen apart” at the moment, they aren’t. He sees what they’ve done to you. He has heard what they are saying about you. And He WILL defend you. He is for you and not against you. Fear not dear one, Yahweh LOVES YOU. And the time WILL come when everyone will see the favor of God Almighty resting on your shoulders like a laurel wreath of victory. Until then, hang tight, stand tall and firm in your faith that His word is Truth.
“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” (Isaiah 7:9)
Tamar Knochel 
Just what I needed to hear after a really long day!
😉 He knew my friend. He knew. Because this was so not the message I wanted to deliver today, but it’s the message that came out. And now, knowing how this day has gone for so many of us. It was the right message.