October 3 ~ Ezekiel 37:11-14
The Lord said: Ezekiel, the people of Israel are like dead bones. They complain that they are dried up and that they have no hope for the future. So tell them, “I, the Lord God, promise to open your graves and set you free. I will bring you back to Israel, and when that happens, you will realize that I am the Lord. My Spirit will give you breath, and you will live again. I will bring you home, and you will know that I have kept my promise. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I have a great recipe for a sour cream raisin pie. This may sound awful to you, but I promise, it is delicious. Raisins are suspended in a creamy, sweet custard made mostly of eggs, sugar, and sour cream… topped by a golden meringue. Now, I love raisins, but the thought of hard, chewy nuggets in a creamy pie does not appeal to me. The key to making the raisins tasty for this pie is to soak them for a few minutes in boiling water. They plump and become juicy and have an altogether different consistency from that of their dried state. The raisins are transformed!
There are many situations in life where we become like dried raisins… lifeless, hard and chewy. Or we become like dead bones… no life in us at all. We give up… we throw our hands in the air and say, “This is too hard… I just cannot continue. Things will never change. My future is hopeless.” Or we give up on someone else – or a certain situation. We humans are often pretty quick to lose our hope and throw in the towel!
Here’s the deal… with God, all things are possible. It ain’t over until He says it’s over! We must never give up. Just like dried raisins can be rejuvenated – brought back to life, so to speak – and used to create an amazingly wonderful pie… God can often breathe life back into us or our situation. He can make a way where we saw none. God can “open our graves” and set us free.
I don’t know what you are facing. I don’t know where you have admitted defeat and decided things are hopeless. I have no clue how or when you have given up… but I know that many of us have - at least for a while. And I am here to tell you that we serve a God of endless possibilities… miracles we cannot imagine. All we have to do is say, “LORD, I don’t know how, when, or where you will change my situation… but I know that you will. I am giving this to You, recognizing Your strength and power, and asking You to turn things around, according to Your perfect will.”
I pray that you will develop the kind of deep abiding faith in God that allows you to release your “dry bones” to Him. Do whatever it takes to become so in tune with Him that you trust Him completely – not just if you face uncertainties, but especially when these happen! Get to a point in your relationship with God where nothing rattles you… where you hand Him all of your troubles and truly release them. Feel the freedom of knowing that HE is in control and working things out perfectly. Learn to truly LIVE in God… to allow His Spirit to fully give you breath… and to operate in the confidence and peace of knowing that He always has your back!
©2012 Debbie Robus
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