Ezekiel 4  When I read this chapter, my first thought is.. I'm so sorry for poor Ezekiel!  Glad I'm not him.. The Lord gave Ezekiel some of the most difficult assignments.  Here, he had to build a model of Jerusalem, with siege walls and camps and battering rams... Then he was told to lay on his left side for 390 days.. representing 390 years of iniquity for Israel, plus another 40 days on his right side for the house of Judah.  This whole time he was to eat a ration of bread that he had prepared and have a ration of water.  This also represented the current situation of Jerusalem.. under siege, and lacking bread and water.  

Ezekiel did not question the Lord on this assignment.. except for one thing... he did not want to cook his bread over human dung... so, the Lord allowed that to change.. to cow dung. 

Don't you think that Ezekiel was really regretting his calling as a prophet about this time?  We can't even imagine giving one day fully to the Lord.. let alone over a year of such sacrifice and surrender.  Think about the last time we were in the Lord's house.. on the Lord's day..  Did you sacrifice anything of your own comfort.. your own pleasure.. your own needs?  Was it a sacrifice of a few minutes of your time? 

Oh Father, how weak we  are.. how self-centered and self-absorbed.  We need to see Your glory.. to hear Your calling.. to take in Your Words.. like Ezekiel.. so that we can freely give ourselves fully to You.  May we see You and know Your greatness and glory in a new and deeper way, Lord God.. May we truly worship and obey You in all that You call us to do.  Help us we pray.. In Jesus' name. Amen.