I respect Erica Wiggenhorn immensely, and have gleaned so much wisdom and insight from each of her Bible studies in the past.  “An Unexpected Revival: Experiencing God’s Goodness through Disappointment and Doubt – An 8-Week Bible Study of Ezekiel” is the newest of her releases from Moody Publishers, and so it immediately went on my reading list.  Not only because of the author, but also because the title and subtitle resonated with me.      

First, let’s get the tough part out of the way… Ezekiel is not an easy book of the Bible to read, study, understand, or learn from.  But, with a good Bible teacher at our side, it IS possible to do all of the above.  Erica is definitely a good teacher, and without question I gained valuable insights from this portion of God’s word that had so often confused and eluded me.  

The visions within Ezekiel’s writing are complex and lengthy, and I appreciate how Erica breaks them down into understandable chunks – with commentary, context, and cross-references in between.  As in all of the Moody Bible Studies for Women, the weeks are divided into 5 days, with questions, reflection, prayer, and application included in each lesson.  Towards the end of the study we step away from the main text of Ezekiel and dive into New Testament books such as Luke and Acts, which shed light on how the prophecies of Ezekiel’s writing were fulfilled in Jesus’ arrival on earth.  

Although this Bible study did not end up being quite what I expected in some ways, it was even better than I’d hoped for in others.  The following quote is something that I wrote in my journal and will continue to ponder in the days to come… take a look at what Erica shares, through the lens of Ezekiel’s prophecies:

“Ezekiel needed to 100 percent depend on God to fulfill this call on his life.  If what God calls us to doesn’t have a bit of hard, doesn’t ruffle our feathers or go beyond logical understanding, then we might be tempted to serve in our own flesh.  Difficulty demands dependence and that’s where God sticks His servants – in a place desperate for His power to come through.  We ought not ever serve our almighty God through feeble human wisdom or frail strength.” – pg. 38 (Week 1, Day 4)

Pretty powerful, eh?  I think so, and encourage you to dive into this Bible study to discover for yourself the powerful insights that can be gleaned from the prophet Ezekiel’s writing in the Old Testament.  

I received this book courtesy of Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.