February 21, 2022 CAN THESE BONES LIVE ?
Ezekiel 37:3-5 “And behold He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord God, Thou knowest.’ Again He said to me, ‘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 that you may come to life.”
1 Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
There are times when we feel discouraged and overwhelmed; we may find ourselves without hope, and we question why things are the way they are. I think everyone has at some point had their dreams, their expectations, and their visions shattered; things did not turn out the way we envisioned and hoped for. In such times, we must remember that God knows that we will face such times, and that He has compassion for us and He comforts; He does not condemn us or chasten us for a lack of faith. When we are in need, when we feel broken, when we feel helpless; God hears our prayers; there is something about ‘crying’ out to God. During such times, God is calling us to trust Him and to walk with Him in spite of the circumstances-I think that is the lesson for us. Job illustrates this when he said “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” Let’s face the truth; we do not like it when things do not go our way-and that is what God is working out of us. Jesus told us in advance that we will have trials in this life-so we should not be surprised or dismayed when they come. Perhaps the hardest trial we face is when a loved one is suffering and we can’t ‘fix it’ or relieve the suffering. So, what should our response be when we are hit by the trials? I certainly do not have all the answers, and there is no simple answer. What does help when we feel we are ‘walking through the valley of the shadow of death,’ is to remember that God knows in detail what we are going through and He wants to comfort us in the trials of this life. No matter how severe the trial might be, it does not void our relationship with our Father. Now the really good news; God is ruling and God is able to build back from the ashes. God is our deliverer and God hears our prayers. God uses the most difficult times for our good-even though we may not understand how. It helps to know that grieving is normal when we hurt; Jesus wept; Jesus was acquainted with grief. Isaiah 53:3. But, weeping and suffering does not last forever; ‘weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.’ God will rescue us and deliver us and we will rejoice again. We live in a fallen world where bad things happen-but God is in the process of redeeming us and our destiny is sure in Him. “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10. The valley of dry bones was surely a desolate looking place, void of all signs of life; yet, the miracle working God caused the bones to come together and bodies reformed; then He caused breath to enter the bodies and they lived again! Our God is not limited, He is all-wise, He restores, He comforts, and He works all things for good for those who love Him. In the trials that we are sure to face, remain strong in the storm not matter how severe the storm might be. Our God is with us.
Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me.” (Note: we walk through the valley-we do not stay there.)
Blessings,
Buddy
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