Ezekiel 1:25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
Over Your Head, But Under God’s Control
The book of Ezekiel begins with the prophet relaying, “As I was among the captives by the river of Chebar… the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” Here is Ezekiel, a Jewish captive in a foreign land, and all of a sudden he sees a vision and the heavens are opened. He sees things that before had been unseen.
Verse 3 says, “The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest…and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.” The picture Ezekiel goes on to paint is nearly bizarre! It is a fantastic picture. He talks about living creatures that had four faces and four wings each, and there is much imagery here that is completely baffling.
In some ways, verse 25 summarizes Ezekiel 1. It says, “And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.” This verse says that there was a voice that was “over their heads.” When I read Ezekiel 1, the whole thing is over my head! It is beyond my comprehension.
Now I do not think that Ezekiel was using an English idiom to describe things that are beyond comprehension, however, that is exactly what is described in Ezekiel 1. This voice from heaven was literally over the heads of these creatures and of Ezekiel, and it was also beyond their comprehension.
The passage goes on to say that “above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne.” Later, it says, “This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.” God gave Ezekiel the message He wanted Ezekiel to give to His wayward people.
So many things are over our heads; we don’t comprehend them. I am talking about things right here and now that baffle us and reach above and beyond our comprehension. When Ezekiel was baffled by his circumstances and didn’t understand the world that had turned upside down for him, God revealed a second and far greater world unto him, a heavenly one. What we can learn from this is that the things that are over your head are under God’s control.
We can take comfort in the fact that there is not only a throne overhead, a world beyond space and time where God rules, but that God is also sovereign over this world.
There may be a lot of things in this world that you do not comprehend, but you can know that there is a God Who rules over and understands everything. He will give you as much guidance as you will repay with a willing and submissive heart. The things that are over your head are under God’s control, so trust Him and listen.