I have been married for over 27 years and a few more months celebrating my 28 anniversary. I have been thinking about these 27 years of marriage what has been good and bad. What has made the marriage last and hold together despite hardship through good and the bad. Every marriage takes work, and every relationship takes work, but it something that wholes together despite the bad times. If it was not so, there would be no long term relationships in the world. God had a long term relationship with Israel and not Israel but Ezekiel. God’s relationship with Israel had stood the test of time even to this day. It is almost as if what God is showing Ezekiel is the details of the house Israel built Him during Solomon’s Day. There something important to the extra details not present in the first description. It is about the handiwork and the time consume task of the design and details of the temple.

With any relationship there is a surface description and under that description is a more detailed look at the relationship. On the surface a relationship might seem solid well built, but it the details that are important inside the relationship. It is the memories of playing checkers in the middle of lunch when there really was not time, or the stroking of a wood fire and the stacking of wood that tells the story of compassion not seen on the surface of a marriage.

God knows the love Israel had for him at one time. He knew the detail and the work he helped created by His power in His people. He longed to rebuild His people and restore that relationship, but what had occurred was adultery of faith that had to be purged first through exile. Can not cheat in the house without knowing what it like to cheat outside the house or go further then you ever plan. To live in exile in the place of the lover that stole the heart within. The woman is cast out into the darkness of the city of Israel and the house is destroyed. The woman being Israel.

My husband and I have spent most of our waking hours together for 27 years except for hours of work or volunteerism. With that much time together something must hold the relationship together. Close confinement something must work well, like oil machinery or it never will work. God loved his people, but if they did not love back the relationship did not work. Those years of a good working relationship Israel even sung in battle and defeat the enemy without weapons of war. When God’s relationship was good with Israel miracles happened, hope and prosperity was good. Yet God did not do everything for Israel all the time, because of Idolatry and lack of faith. One needs belief and trust in a relationship for both groups to perform their best in a relationship. If God is not seeming to listen are you doing your part in the relationship? God knows what ticks and what works in the relationship. He knows the work and detail performed by you in his relationship to you. The house built was special, a place to concentrate on each other and each others needs. One wants to think of the house of God only a place to worship God but it also a place God restores his relationship to his flock. He heals and mends the heart and it comes with worship and praise with group of His people. Yet it more then worship, but a community of like mind people working together for the work of the Lord, and the community relationship with God within the sanctuary. It is a testimony of how God moved among the people as little timmy in the children’s choir sang the song to loud or ran around the altar. It is the time of prayer and miracles within the walls of the individual sanctuary that testify of God’s presence too. It is the calm decision making of good decisions during a church board meeting even if disagreement occurs.

What most important is the details of God’s design in aiding the labor of the hands and the human heart. 27 years of marriage as taught me about my own relationship with God in a different way, because scripture declares my relationship with Him as His child, but it is the daily walk that tells the story. Even at times of separation from God has not meant that it was truly separated. It was God allowing space so what ever was upsetting me could mend. My relationship with God had been over forty years. Yet it takes over27 years to explain it to me in terms I can understand.

God’s word is precious but it the details of his word we often ignore. The precious word of testimony of his relationship with His people and with His flock in the New Testament. We fail to see that inter relationship God has because this miracle worker looms over the Bible as not only a super hero, but bigger then our own ability to do the impossible in our life. We have a God that is bigger then us and our problems. Bigger then the world and its problems, and yet we constantly trust in our own ability instead of His. when the temple was built the crafters were even were empowered to build and crave the work within the temple. The measurements were so detailed that even the normal builder will tell you it was perfectly designed down to the letter and no making it work did not happen. We need our relationship with God to be no let’s do it, but let us let God do His part in the service and the design in the service to be part of his people. Do not kick God out of church allow Him to lead and not only lead the church but your heart. It take individuals having a relationship with God for the group to be able to learn to allow God to have a part in one’s life.

Dear Heavenly Father, we humbly ask you to be a part of the details of our life in our relationship with you both in our hearts and in our sanctuary. In Jesus precious name, Amen.