319. Build and Plant
Ezekiel 36:36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.
When God promises something He says He will do it. It may be hard to believe some of the Lord’s promises, like this one. The Lord says that the unbelievers around us will know that He has built and planted. Jesus says that when your light shines people around you will give glory to your Father. We don’t see that happening, but God says it happens. So it must be so.
Specifically, unbelievers around you will know that the Lord has built up what was ruined and planted where it was desolate. This promise is for us NT Christians to believe in a spiritual way. It is possible that people will see that the Lord has built up the ruined places in our souls, and He will plant fertile growth in the dry and empty places in our souls. We ourselves don’t easily see what the Spirit of God is doing in us to repair and restore what is broken down within us. Yet we are expected to believe that others will see what the Lord is doing.
The people in the world around us actually are affected by the presence of Christians among them. They don’t, as far as we can see, come to know the Lord because of what He is building and planting in us Nevertheless, something happens whether they can acknowledge it or not. We will never know how much impact salt and light has on the world around us, but we can believe the promise that it makes a difference. Certainly, the working of the Spirit in our spirit makes a difference to us, but we can also believe that it makes a difference to others. Every believer is a witness, who witnesses to what the Lord is building and planting in the soul. Believe God and live life. It matters.