Ezekiel 23 uses deliberately confronting imagery to describe Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. God’s people had repeatedly turned away from Him and placed their trust, affection and dependence in other nations and their gods.
Eventually, God allowed them to experience the consequences of the very alliances they had pursued.
That stopped me.
May I never repeatedly choose something that grieves God until He allows me to have what I insist upon.
Sometimes God’s protection looks like a closed door. Sometimes His “no” is mercy. Sometimes the conviction we keep feeling is God trying to keep us from discovering through pain what He has already told us through His Word.
This applies everywhere—relationships, marriage, business decisions, leadership, friendships, finances and purpose. Success is not simply getting what I want. Success is getting what God wants for me.
There are things that can look attractive, strategic or even harmless but gradually compete with our dependence on God.
The question becomes: Do I want this badly enough to disobey God for it?
If the answer is yes, then the desire itself has become too important.
I Never Want God in the Background
“Because You’ve Forgotten All About Me…”
Ezekiel 23:35
This verse may be one of the most sobering in these chapters.
God told His people that they had forgotten Him and pushed Him into the background.
Imagine God—the One who gave us life, opened doors, sustained us through difficult seasons and entrusted us with everything we carry—slowly becoming background noise in the very life He gave us.
I prayed immediately:
Lord, may my one desire always be to have You in charge of my life.
It is possible to be doing good things—even building businesses, serving people, leading communities, pursuing purpose, nurturing a marriage or chasing a God-given vision—and gradually become so occupied with the things God gave us that we neglect God Himself.
I don’t want to build anything that requires pushing God aside.
If the business grows, God must remain first.
If the platform grows, God must remain first.
If the community grows, God must remain first.
If prayers are answered, God must remain first.
And while waiting for prayers to be answered, God must still remain first.
God should not merely be someone we consult when decisions become difficult. He should be the One directing the entire journey.
Ezekiel’s Obedience Was Costly
“The Next Morning I Did as I’d Been Told”
Ezekiel 24:15–18
This passage is heartbreaking.
God told Ezekiel that his wife—described as “the delight of your life”—would die. Ezekiel’s response was not evidence that he did not love her or that grief is somehow ungodly. In fact, Scripture’s description makes his love clear.
But Ezekiel’s response became a prophetic sign to Israel. The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple—the place the people treasured—was coming, and Ezekiel’s unusual mourning restrictions illustrated the shock and devastation they would experience.
Still, one sentence stood out:
“The next morning I did as I’d been told.”
Ezekiel was sold out to God.
This passage should not be used to suggest that Christians must suppress grief when someone dies; Scripture elsewhere gives abundant room for mourning. Ezekiel was given a specific prophetic assignment.
But his obedience challenges me.
Would I still obey God when obedience costs me something?
It is easy to say, “God, have Your way,” when His way aligns perfectly with ours. Surrender becomes real when God’s instructions disrupt our preferences.
Sometimes obedience may mean waiting longer than we expected.
Sometimes it means walking away from an opportunity.
Sometimes it means rebuilding differently.
Sometimes it means making an uncomfortable business decision, admitting we were wrong, forgiving someone, changing direction or trusting God without understanding what He is doing.
Sold-out obedience says: “Lord, I may not understand everything, but You are still God.”
Our Lives Can Become Evidence That God Is God
Ezekiel 24:25, 27
God told Ezekiel that eventually a survivor would arrive with news about Jerusalem. Ezekiel would speak again, and God said:
“Again, you’ll be an example for them. And they’ll recognize that I am God.”
Ezekiel’s life itself had become part of the message.
That made me think about purpose differently.
Perhaps some of the things God takes us through are not merely about what He wants to do for us, but what He intends to demonstrate through us.
Our waiting can become a testimony.
Our rebuilding can become a testimony.
Our marriage can honour God.
Our businesses can reveal His wisdom.
Our leadership can demonstrate His character.
Our obedience when nobody understands can eventually become evidence of His faithfulness.
We don’t always know which part of our lives God will use to help someone else recognise Him.
That makes obedience sacred.
Practical Takeaways From Ezekiel 23–24
- Ask what has your heart. Anything we cannot surrender to God deserves examination.
- Don’t ignore conviction. God’s correction is often His mercy protecting us from consequences.
- Keep God at the centre. Don’t allow blessings, ambition, relationships, business or even ministry to push Him into the background.
- Obey even when obedience is inconvenient. We will not always understand God’s instructions before obeying them.
- Hold God’s gifts with open hands. Love deeply, build diligently and steward faithfully—but remember that everything ultimately belongs to Him.
- Let your life point back to God. Our response to waiting, disappointment, rebuilding and answered prayers can become part of someone else’s encounter with Him.
Conclusion: Lord, Never Let Me Push You Into the Background
Ezekiel 23–24 is uncomfortable, but perhaps that discomfort is necessary.
Israel’s story reminds us what can happen when hearts that once belonged to God continually wander elsewhere. Ezekiel’s story shows the opposite: a man whose devotion to God remained even when obedience became painfully costly.
I know which life I want.
Not a perfect life.
Not necessarily an easy life.
But a life in which God remains God.
At the centre of my marriage.
At the centre of my business.
At the centre of my leadership.
At the centre of my relationships.
At the centre of my waiting.
At the centre of my dreams.
At the centre when prayers are answered—and when I am still waiting for answers.
May I never become so attached to God’s gifts that I forget the Giver.
And may my life ultimately tell the same story Ezekiel’s did:
He obeyed God—and through his life, people recognised that He is God.
Prayer
Father, thank You for loving me enough to correct, redirect and call me back whenever my heart begins to wander. Please never let me become comfortable with anything that grieves You.
Search my heart and reveal anything I have allowed to become more important than You. May success, relationships, marriage, business, ministry, purpose, possessions and even answered prayers never push You into the background of my life.
Give me the grace to obey You when Your instructions are easy and when they are costly. Teach me to trust Your wisdom when I understand what You are doing and when I don’t.
I surrender my plans, desires, relationships, work, future and everything You have entrusted to me. Remain at the centre of it all.
And when people encounter the story of my life, may they ultimately recognise one thing above everything else:
You are God.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Candid Christian 
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