A Powerful Prayer of Safeguard over Your Loved Ones
By Chelsey DeMatteis
“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.” - Ezekiel 33:6
I spent a handful of weeks studying the book of Ezekiel; it was jaw-dropping to say the least. It was filled with lots of historical events taking place, but the thread of Jesus through the whole book was life-changing. Ezekiel was a priest in the midst of exile when the LORD opened up the heavens and gave him a vision. A vision that reflects so much of who Christ is for us on this side of the cross. Ezekiel was appointed the watchman over Israel. Can you imagine that job title! When God called him to this role, He laid out very clear guidelines of what Ezekiel was to do and how he was to speak to God’s people.
Ezekiel 33:1-6 says, “The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them, If I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from among them, and make him their watchman, and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people, then if anyone who hears the sound of the trumpet does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.”
The job was laid out, and Ezekiel did just as God said. This challenged me and revealed to me that while I am the watchman of my home, Jesus is the ultimate watchman over my family. God is clear with these job titles. He tells you and I how we are to run our households and that we are called to protect our families from falsehood, deceit, and all the lies of this world. He also reveals to us that Jesus is pursuing, directing, and protecting in ways that we cannot. There is a spiritual realm that we cannot see.
I think of my mom often when I recall Ezekiel's role. She spent an hour every morning in prayer for my life and salvation before I was walking with Jesus. She would plead with God that He would draw me to Himself without dealing with me too harshly. She not only prayed by herself, but she asked others to pray, too. She had me on prayer chains at church and had dear neighbors going to Jesus on my behalf, too. This is a beautiful example of a watchman. Watchmen not only stand on guard, ready to sound the trumpet when evil arises, but they also seek Jesus on behalf of the people they are watching over.
We have the honor and ability to bring our families before the Lord in prayer, while we also have to choose to submit our families to the One who watches over each of our people all the time. Being the watchman for our people isn't an easy task, but it's a holy calling.
Let's pray:
Father, help me as I watch over and pray for my family. Give me discernment to speak when I should and when I'm to sound the trumpet that a stumbling block is coming their way. Father, thank you for sending Jesus to be the ultimate watchman. I praise you for the gift of your covering at all times. Please protect my family, keep evil far from them, and pursue their hearts fiercely in Jesus' name, amen.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Thitaree Sarmkasat
Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women's Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com.
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