Ezekiel ben Buzi would never forget his 30th birthday.

He had been trained as a priest and brought up to believe that at 30 his life's work would begin. For years he had anticipated this moment when he would be ordained and eligible to serve in the temple.

But instead of being in Jerusalem, he was a captive in Babylon. Instead of being a priest, he was called by God to be a prophet. Instead of serving in the temple, he was surrounded by a plethora of pagan gods.

But on his 30th birthday, he received a vision from God... This timely vision confronted the Jews with their sinfulness and the need for divine judgement. It reminded them of God's sovereignty and the promise of future restoration.

In this 30-day undated devotional Liam Goligher shows us that our lives, like Ezekiel's, may have turned out differently from how we expected. Can we keep on serving God in turbulent times, trusting his sovereignty and striving for holiness with the Holy Spirit's help and power?

Contributions by: Elizabeth McQuoid