Ezekiel 34:16 - “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.”

Growing up, I have learned and sung the song,

“Every promise in the Book is mine.

Every chapter, every verse, every line…

All the blessings of His love divine

Every promise in the Book is mine.”

I loved this song with its great melody and the message it sends…until someone said that it was not scriptural since not every promise in the Bible is for us. He said some were promised to the Jews, and others to the Church, etc. We stopped singing this song after that.

Then I thought, my God will do the same to me with what He did with the people He made the promises to. The passage may not be directed to us, but He included it in the Scriptures to tell us that He can do and give the same blessings to anyone He cares and loves. His grace is available to all His children, according to His will.

Our verse today was God’s response to the failure of the shepherds who failed their sheep; referring to the children of Israel and the failure of their leaders. Through the Prophet Ezekiel, He rebuked the Shepherds who allowed their sheep to scatter because of their irresponsible behavior of not fulfilling their duties.

This story is also for you and me who feel abandoned and not cared for because of the failures and absence of those who are responsible. As a Pastor, I will fail you. Parents will fail their children. We will all fail one another sometimes. Praise God! He never fails.

The Lord our God will correct the mistakes of others. With Him, there is always hope. When we find ourselves lost and confused, He will search for us and find us. How many times have we been deceived and disappointed by people we thought we could trust? When they fail, we can look up to God and He will come to our rescue.

Our God will restore those who have been driven away or rejected. It is devastating to be rejected. You feel you are not good enough and worse, you feel unseen, insignificant, and not needed. Praise God, the Lord says, He will bring you back and restore you unto Himself because He understands and He cares. We can always count on Him.

The broken will not remain broken for God is willing to bind and put us back together again. In fact, oftentimes He finds it necessary to break us in order to correct and transform us into a precious vessel so He can use us to bring glory to His name. When God performs, the result is always amazing. It results in abundant blessings.

All of us experience getting ill. In our sickness, we feel weak and miserable. Do not be dismayed for the Lord says He will strengthen and heal us, according to His will. If not, we are confident that He has a better plan for us that will bless us forever.

Finally, He promised that He will not only work in us to restore and strengthen us because of the failures of others. God will also deal with those who take advantage of us. He will fight for you and me. He will handle and take care of those who offend and hurt us. We do not have to think of retaliating for God knows how to make those who are against us be sorry for what they have caused.

Conclusion:

Some will say, it is convenient to say “I leave it to God.” It is tempting to personally get even to let them pay. But don’t you think God will do better than what we could do? Understand that God allows everything for a reason; including the failures and the sins of others. He does not cause them, but He permits them for a greater reason. Let God handle them so He can fulfill His will and desire for us and for those who are against us.

Romans 12:19 - “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”