Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Kirsten Holmberg, and I titled our reading, Speaking as God Helps Us.

One wouldn't normally think of butterflies as being loud creatures.

After all, the flapping of a single monarch butterfly's wings is practically inaudible.

But in the Mexican rainforest, where many of them begin their short lives, their collective

flapping is surprisingly loud.

When millions of monarchs flap their wings at the same time, it sounds like a rushing waterfall.

The same description is made when four very different winged creatures appear in Ezekiel's vision.

Though fewer than the number of butterflies, he likens the sound of their flapping wings

to the roar of rushing waters. When the creatures stood still and lowered their wings,

Ezekiel heard the voice of God calling him to speak God's words to the Israelites.

Ezekiel, like the other Old Testament prophets, was charged with the task of speaking truth to God's people.

Today, God asks us all to share the truth of his good work in our lives with those he puts around us.

Sometimes we'll be asked a direct question, an invitation to share that's as loud as a waterfall.

Other times, the invitation might be more of a whisper, such as seeing an unspoken need.

Whether the invitation to share God's love is as loud as a million butterflies,

or as quiet as just one, we must listen, as Ezekiel did,

with ears tuned to hear what God wants us to say.

Today's Our Daily Bread Devotional Scripture reading is from Ezekiel chapter 1,

verses 22 through 28.

Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked something like a vault,

sparkling like crystal and awesome.

...