Ezekiel 16 paints an intentionally uncomfortable picture of Jerusalem. God describes her as an abandoned newborn—helpless, exposed and with nothing to offer. Then God passes by and speaks one command:
“Live!”
And she lived.
She grew. She matured. She became something completely different from what her beginnings suggested.
What struck me is that God spoke a word to bring Jerusalem out of the state she was in.
There was no elaborate process in that moment. God said, “Live,” and His Word carried the power necessary for what He commanded.
Sometimes What We Need Most Is a Word From God
There are seasons when we can become consumed with figuring out how something will change.
How will the business grow?
How will this relationship be restored?
How will I rebuild?
How will this waiting season end?
How will I become everything God has shown me?
Yet Scripture continually reminds us that God’s Word is not merely information. His Word carries authority.
When God says live, dead places can live.
When God says grow, growth can begin.
When God says move, paths can open.
When God says wait, waiting itself can become productive.
This does not mean we become passive. Jerusalem still grew. But her growth began with something she could never manufacture for herself: God spoke life over her.
In seasons where I am building, rebuilding, waiting and trusting God concerning different areas of my life, I am reminded that I don’t have to force everything into existence.
Sometimes my responsibility is simply to hear what God has said, believe Him and respond accordingly.
Never Forget What God Brought You From
Ezekiel 16:22 — “Not once… did you remember your infancy…”
The tragedy of Ezekiel 16 is that the Jerusalem God rescued eventually forgot that she had ever needed rescuing.
She enjoyed what God had given her but forgot the God who had given it.
Her problem wasn’t simply that she sinned. She forgot.
She forgot the vulnerable beginning.
She forgot the rescue.
She forgot the One who said, “Live.”
And perhaps this is one of the quiet dangers of growth.
We pray for the business to succeed, the marriage, the opportunity, the platform, the healing, the community, the financial breakthrough or the answered prayer.
Then, if we aren’t careful, the very thing we once prayed desperately for can make us forget how desperately we once needed God.
Remembrance Keeps Us Humble
There is something spiritually powerful about remembering.
Remember when you didn’t know how you would make it.
Remember when you prayed for what you now consider normal.
Remember the doors you couldn’t have opened yourself.
Remember the relationships God sent.
Remember the provision.
Remember the instruction that redirected you.
Remember who you were when God found you.
Not to live permanently in the past, but to remain grateful in the present.
Growth should deepen our dependence on God, not diminish it.
What We Forget Can Affect How We Live
Ezekiel 16:43 — “Because you didn’t remember what happened when you were young…”
Verse 43 takes the lesson even further. God directly connects Jerusalem’s behaviour with her failure to remember.
She forgot—and eventually lived as though everything she had belonged to her independently of God.
This made me consider how important remembrance is to obedience.
When we remember God’s mercy, obedience stops feeling like an inconvenience and becomes a response to love.
When we remember His provision, generosity becomes easier.
When we remember His guidance, trusting Him with the next decision becomes easier.
When we remember how He carried us through previous uncertainty, we can face today’s uncertainty differently.
Sometimes remembering yesterday’s faithfulness gives us courage for today’s obedience.
Be Careful Where You Run for Security
Ezekiel 17:15 — “But he rebelled and sent emissaries to Egypt to recruit horses and a big army…”
Ezekiel 17 shifts to King Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylon. He had entered into a covenant under Babylonian authority but secretly turned to Egypt for military support.
God’s question is striking:
“Do you think that’s going to work?”
The issue wasn’t merely political strategy. Zedekiah had broken covenant and attempted to secure through human alliances what he was unwilling to entrust to God.
And this challenges me.
Where do I run when I feel uncertain?
Who becomes my “Egypt”?
Connections?
Money?
Influence?
Strategy?
A particular person?
My own intelligence?
None of these things are inherently wrong. We need wisdom, relationships, strategy and resources. But good things become dangerous when they take the place of God.
There is a difference between God using people to help us and depending on people instead of God.
Especially in business and leadership, it can be tempting to believe that the right introduction, partnership, investor, client or opportunity will change everything.
Perhaps it will change something.
But it can never become our source.
God remains the Source. People, opportunities and resources are channels He may choose to use.
Grace Should Produce Faithfulness
Ezekiel 16 begins with grace:
“Live.”
Ezekiel 17 confronts broken covenant.
Together, these chapters remind me that the appropriate response to God’s grace is faithfulness.
The God who rescued us deserves our remembrance.
The God who grew us deserves our dependence.
The God who established us deserves our obedience.
And the God who carried us before is still capable of carrying us into whatever comes next.
Practical Takeaways
- Ask God what He is saying in your current season. Before obsessing over how everything will happen, return to His Word.
- Create a habit of remembrance. Write down answered prayers, unexpected provision, lessons, relationships and moments when God clearly intervened.
- Audit your dependence. Ask yourself, “If this person, opportunity, income stream or plan disappeared, would I still believe God could fulfil His purpose for me?”
- Don’t allow growth to create spiritual amnesia. The more God entrusts to you, the more intentionally you should remain close to Him.
- Honour your commitments. Don’t sacrifice integrity because another option suddenly appears more advantageous.
- Let God’s past faithfulness strengthen today’s faith. If He sustained you before, you have evidence for trusting Him again.
Conclusion: Remember Who Said “Live”
Perhaps one of the greatest safeguards against pride, fear and misplaced dependence is simply remembering.
Remember where you started.
Remember what you couldn’t do for yourself.
Remember the prayers God answered.
Remember the doors He opened.
Remember the wilderness He carried you through.
Remember the seasons when you had nothing but His Word.
And most importantly, remember the One who spoke life over you.
The same God who said “Live” when Jerusalem was helpless was still calling her back when she wandered.
May we never become so established that we forget the One who established us.
And when we’re tempted to run to our own version of Egypt for security, may we remember:
The God who brought us this far is still enough for where we’re going.
Prayer
Father, thank You for every place where You have spoken life over me. Thank You for the seasons You carried me through, the doors You opened, the people You sent, the provision You gave and the ways You rescued me when I could not rescue myself.
Please protect me from spiritual forgetfulness. As You grow me, keep me humble. As You establish the work of my hands, keep me dependent on You. As You answer my prayers, never allow the gifts to become more important than the Giver.
Show me anywhere I have begun looking to people, opportunities, money, strategy or my own ability for the security that should come from You. Give me wisdom to use every resource You provide without making any resource my source.
Help me honour my commitments, remain faithful to Your instructions and trust Your Word even when I cannot yet see how everything will unfold.
And whenever I am confronted with something that looks helpless, remind me that You are still the God who speaks and says, “Live.”
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Candid Christian 
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