The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Wail and say, ‘Alas for that day!’” – Ezekiel 30:1-2

Today's Scripture Reading (September 28, 2026): Ezekiel 30

My grandfather was a great storyteller. I used to love sitting and listening to his stories. I'd heard most of the stories many times over, and sometimes I might have outwardly groaned at hearing them again, but inwardly, it was great to just sit and listen. Listening to Grandpa’s stories, you could almost see the adventure unfold; I could almost feel the excitement as if I were the one at the center of the tale. I got to know the streets and townships he remembered. It was great. I really miss Grandpa and his stories, and often wish I could sit with him again and just listen to his voice as he tells the familiar stories one more time, something that has been missing from my life for almost forty years.

One of the things that I think we are going to miss is the stories of our older friends. When they are gone, we will have lost a rich flavor from life forever. I still have older friends that I love to sit with and listen to their stories. However, the flipside is also important. Yesterday is not where we are supposed to live. God is all about leading us into the future. If all we have is yesterday, then we really have nothing.

This message of caution about yesterday was God’s message to Egypt. Everything that you have to look forward to is now in your past. And that is not a good thing; it is worthy of a song of lament.  It wasn’t necessary; Egypt could have looked forward to the future, but in this moment, the great stories of the past were all Egypt had left to celebrate. God tells Ezekiel that all Egypt can do is “Wail and say, ‘Alas for that day!’”

I want to remember that God is always about my future. The past isn’t unimportant or uninstructive, but it is a story already written and now can only be retold. Nothing can change what has gone before. But tomorrow has yet to be written. God always intends for our best days to lie ahead. He wants us to walk into that undiscovered country without lament, knowing the one who created us is already there waiting to welcome us into tomorrow.

So, walk into tomorrow with confidence, because God is already there, waiting to welcome us and shape what we need to do in that unknown area of life.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 31