Ezekiel Brings Us Hope
Ezekiel Brings Us Hope
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Ezekiel 37 is a spectacular chapter of hope. Hope we all need when we run out of strength and the afterburners (that extra burst of energy to carry us through) in our lives. My bones have felt like they were in that valley with Ezekiel more than once in my life. Many of us have the same feeling; some may be there now.
Here is a “foghorn” sounding in your life:
There is hope God is declaring over you!
“Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 37:4-6 ESV
God is saying to you “LISTEN UP”….“dry, worn out, emaciated, absolutely crispy people. The Lord your God has a word for you! You will live and not die! I am restoring you from the inside out.”
Don’t give up! Don’t quit! He will breathe His breath of life in you and you will be restored in body, mind, and spirit.
Ezekiel says he heard the bones rattle. Have you heard that sound (figuratively speaking) in your heart? I have. It is a soft still sound in our heart and it brings hope.
There are times we face uncertainty, or mountains that seem insurmountable and we are at the very end. I certainly have in my life.
But, there is God!
He says He will breathe life into our being. He is going to restore the fabric of who we are from the marrow of our bones to the meat and muscle of our soul. He is building and developing character; covering with grace and mercy. Then He fills us with His love and gives us strength and power to rise up and walk.
“Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.”
Ezekiel 37:9b-10 ESV
Today we may not feel like we are in a great army. Perhaps we feel like we couldn’t even stand let alone be a part of a great army.
There is great news!
Listen to what God says:
“Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
Ezekiel 37:12-14 ESV
He will put His Spirit in us and we shall live. We shall be strong, full of grace and mercy. Filled with His love.Vines-1200x848 There are times we can say “I can’t”. That works because He can and will if we let Him. We are not left on our own. Paul tells us in Romans:
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:26-28 ESV
Not only is the Spirit of God interceding for us when we think we know what to pray or even when we are sure we have no clue what to pray but He’s praying according to the will of God. So, we can have comfort knowing whether things are good or not. When we choose to have the Holy Spirit dwell in us, it is then He is working on our behalf together with the Father and the Son. So, we can know that even in horrible circumstances He will not abandon us but in fact, works things out for our good.
We have the ability to know that we can overcome our circumstances and not allow our circumstances to overcome us.
YES, WE CAN.
Paul finishes up in Romans 8 by encouraging us that in ALL things we are more than conquerors.
“..no in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:37-39 ESV
You see, there are times we don’t think we have what it takes. We feel guilt, remorse, defeat, and condemnation. Those things can keep us weighed down, overwhelmed, defeated, unable to get up, give out. But be strong Paul tells us, there is NO CONDEMNATION in Christ Jesus. Listen to Paul’s words:
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
Romans 8:1-2 ESV
There is hope in all we go through, there really is, when we rely on the one who has breathed His breath of life into us.
We are not alone.
Today can you ask the Holy Spirit to dwell deep in your heart so when the storms come you can stand strong? Can you look to the Holy Spirit for strength, guidance, and hope?
