Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
October 22, 2021
Read Ezekiel 37:1-14
1 The LORD’s power overcame me, and while I was in the LORD’s spirit, he led me out and set me down in the middle of a certain valley. It was full of bones. 2 He led me through them all around, and I saw that there were a great many of them on the valley floor, and they were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Human one, can these bones live again?” I said, “LORD God, only you know.” 4 He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, Dry bones, hear the LORD’s word! 5 The LORD God proclaims to these bones: I am about to put breath in you, and you will live again. 6 I will put sinews on you, place flesh on you, and cover you with skin. When I put breath in you, and you come to life, you will know that I am the LORD.” 7 I prophesied just as I was commanded. There was a great noise as I was prophesying, then a great quaking, and the bones came together, bone by bone. 8 When I looked, suddenly there were sinews on them. The flesh appeared, and then they were covered over with skin. But there was still no breath in them. 9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, human one! Say to the breath, The LORD God proclaims: Come from the four winds, breath! Breathe into these dead bodies and let them live.” 10 I prophesied just as he commanded me. When the breath entered them, they came to life and stood on their feet, an extraordinarily large company. 11 He said to me, “Human one, these bones are the entire house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished. We are completely finished.’ 12 So now, prophesy and say to them, The LORD God proclaims: I’m opening your graves! I will raise you up from your graves, my people, and I will bring you to Israel’s fertile land. 13 You will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and raise you up from your graves, my people. 14 I will put my breath in you, and you will live. I will plant you on your fertile land, and you will know that I am the LORD. I’ve spoken, and I will do it. This is what the LORD says.”
Good Morning! God’s Ways are not Our Ways!
Do you believe? God’s power is omnipotent! Only through God can the dead be raised. When I consider this passage, I gasp at the power of God. This is not a person who dies for a few minutes and then is miraculously revived which in and of itself is a true miracle. These are old dry bones that are lying about disconnected to each other with no semblance of a person. Imagine being Ezekiel at this point!
In our world today, there are many who believe that all is lost and we are doomed. Only God knows what great things lie before us. We are called to trust and obey God as we work to proclaim the Good News. Those who doubt will sow seeds of doubt, but those with true faith sow seeds of true believers. God promises to be with us always.
God calls us to turn our worries and fears over and trust in Him. God will provide and nurture us as we travel towards our eternal glory. When things are difficult, it is easy to lose hope, but when we feel hopeless we must lean into our faith and continue to pray and read scripture. God will reveal to us what we need to know in His time and in His way. It is up to each one of us to claim God’s promise. God is waiting for you to answer the call. Allow the Holy Spirit to breathe life into you as you cling to hope in the promises of God.
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. We are plagued with doubt when things go wrong. Help us remember that through you all things are possible. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: As we go through times of spiritual drought, let us wait for God to breathe life into us.
Closer than the very breath we breathe! Pastor Liz
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