Ezekiel 34 speaks of 3 groups of people, the shepherds (v.1-10); the sheep (v.17-22) and the scattered (v.11-16 and 23-31). Knowing which group you are in will help you to understand what God is speaking to you. The covenant promise of peace and all the blessings that come with that are not for everyone in this chapter, it is for the scattered. As I was meditating on this chapter today, the Lord ministered to my heart about the great gathering that is taking place right now. God, Himself is gathering the scattered.

Ezekiel 34:11-13 “‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land.”

George Barna is quoted as saying that 30% of Christians are outside of the church right now, while 70% are inside, but within 5 years or less, 70% of Christians will be outside of the church and only 30% will be inside. Whether in the church or outside of it, God is gathering His scattered ones, who have been driven out, walked out, or stepped out of the church system. God is not mad at those who are scattered, actually if you read Ezekiel 34, the Lord says, Woe to the shepherds, the Lord judges the sheep, goats and rams (leaders in the church) and He is in search of the scattered. If you are a scattered one, you are blessed because God is gathering us even right now.

But what is He gathering us into? He is gathering us into His flock. The Lord says, “I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down” (Ezekiel 34:15). He is placing one shepherd over us, remember Psalm 23, He is establishing a covenant of peace with us, He is our God and we are His people (Psalm 100).

It is a great time in history to be alive. What may look at sound like heresy to those who can only see with their natural eyes is actually a gathering of all those who are sheep that want a shepherd. We have many people who bear the name shepherd, stand in the place of a shepherd and think we are just wandering sheep. The truth is, inside the 4 walls of a church or outside of them is a large, significantly large group of people who have been scattered, they are broken, they are hurting, they are saying, “there must be more than this”. Something inside of them is searching for truth, seeking a shepherd. And what they are going to find is God, Himself.

“You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men/women, and I am your God, says the Lord!” (Ezekiel 34:31)

A lot of people hear the gathering call, many are leaving the system that has bound them and are finding they are misunderstood, but yet, they hear the call and so they follow. “My sheep, hear My voice, and they follow Me.” (John 10) Follow the voice of your shepherd, His name is Jesus and He will give you a place to rest your weary soul. His yoke is easy and His burden is truly light. The scattered are being gathered.