Never Give Up Hope
The hand of the LORD was upon me and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man can these bones live?” I said, “O sovereign LORD, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD’...I will make breath enter you and you will come back to life”…
Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath… ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army. Then He said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say: “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone: we are cut off.” Therefore prophesy and say to them: “This is what the Sovereign LORD says:..I will put my Spirit in you and you will live…” Ezekiel 37:1-14
Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath… ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army. Then He said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say: “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone: we are cut off.” Therefore prophesy and say to them: “This is what the Sovereign LORD says:..I will put my Spirit in you and you will live…” Ezekiel 37:1-14
God took His servant Ezekiel into a valley of dry bones to portray to him in dramatic fashion the feelings of hopeless that had overtaken the Israelites. Dry bones signify hopelessness. They were in exile with no hope of ever seeing the land of Israel again. They felt cut off. They had given up! But in the eyes of God, the situation was not as hopeless as it seemed. The Almighty God was still capable of causing a hopeless valley of dry bones to become a vast standing army. With God, nothing is impossible; and to him who believes, all things are possible.
The many challenges of life can leave us feeling totally hopeless - like a valley of dry bones. At some point in time, we are bound to experience situations that might seem hopeless. We can either give up or determine that we will press on in hope and believe that things will get better!
The truth is: No matter how dark your situation might be, the best thing you can do for yourself is to keep hope alive; anticipate with expectation that things will get better. Don’t lie down in defeat; get up everyday and fight with fresh hope. Never give up hope. Always keep hope alive.
There are two things that can help infuse hope in an otherwise hopeless situation:
First: The word of God. God asked Ezekiel to speak His word into the valley of dry bones which represented the people of Israel. Only the power and assurance of God’s word can bring joy, comfort and assurance into a hopeless situation. God’s word is active, powerful and alive!
Second: The Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is very personal. He is our Counselor, Comforter and Advocate. His presence breathes immediate life into dead situations. He speaks peace and assurance to us. Invite the Spirit into your situation and you will rebound with hope. He is real!
Never give up hope, no matter how dire the situation might be. Hopelessness is the enemy’s way of replacing your promised abundant life in Christ with a coffin. God is able to turn your valley of dry bones into a vast standing army. He proved it to Ezekiel. He will do it to you as well.
The many challenges of life can leave us feeling totally hopeless - like a valley of dry bones. At some point in time, we are bound to experience situations that might seem hopeless. We can either give up or determine that we will press on in hope and believe that things will get better!
The truth is: No matter how dark your situation might be, the best thing you can do for yourself is to keep hope alive; anticipate with expectation that things will get better. Don’t lie down in defeat; get up everyday and fight with fresh hope. Never give up hope. Always keep hope alive.
There are two things that can help infuse hope in an otherwise hopeless situation:
First: The word of God. God asked Ezekiel to speak His word into the valley of dry bones which represented the people of Israel. Only the power and assurance of God’s word can bring joy, comfort and assurance into a hopeless situation. God’s word is active, powerful and alive!
Second: The Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is very personal. He is our Counselor, Comforter and Advocate. His presence breathes immediate life into dead situations. He speaks peace and assurance to us. Invite the Spirit into your situation and you will rebound with hope. He is real!
Never give up hope, no matter how dire the situation might be. Hopelessness is the enemy’s way of replacing your promised abundant life in Christ with a coffin. God is able to turn your valley of dry bones into a vast standing army. He proved it to Ezekiel. He will do it to you as well.
Prayer: Father, I thank you that you have the power to turn my valley of dry bones into a vast standing army. I will press on because your grace is always sufficient for me. Amen.