Good morning friends, family, and followers! As spring approaches I find myself almost jumping out of bed at the first site of sunshine with the excited hope of warm weather and that first cup of morning coffee. It's like Christmas… every day! Today was no different except it happens to be Easter Friday. Jesus has been crucified and buried. What must this day have been like for his followers at the time? Can you imagine the questioning, the doubting, the overall sadness and confusion? All they had to hold on to was a promise. Faith in what they could not see nor control. This promise though literally carried the weight of the world.
Early this week I was spending some time in worship with the Lord and he brought Ezekiel 37 to mind. It begins in verse 1: "The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
So Ezekiel is led out in this vision to a place of death. We have no indication that Ezekiel saw what these bones were before their death or that he saw what they could be. God simply allowed him to see that which is dead, broken, and seemingly un-revivable. Then the Lord asked, "Can these bones live?"
It struck me like a ton of bricks. There are things in my life, my past and my family that have always felt dead and un-salvageable; things that I've just accepted. But I hear the Lord asking me, "Robin, can these bones live? Can I bring death to life, beauty from ashes?"
As I hear him asking me these questions I am surprised by a subtle "yes" resounding within me. Again many of these things have seemed hopeless to me. Yet now the inner stirrings of my spirit whisper, "yes Lord, you can."
It's funny to me that He would allow these questions to present in Easter week. Isn't our God a God who rises from death to life? Isn't this the theme all throughout scripture? Yep. It is and He is. He conquered sin and death on the cross forevermore and just as He was raised from the dead so are we if we live in Him.
He is a God of restoration and hope and He is CRAZY about us! "He did not spare His own son but gave him up for us. How much more would he not also graciously give us all things," (Rom 8). God has a great and wonderful plan for each of us and I don’t think I’m crazy to say that His plan involves a tapestry of redemptive events or moments in our lives. This is the great scandal and invitation into the abundant life that He offers.
I’ve been walking with the Lord for eight years now but I have a sense that I’ve only scratched the surface into who He is and how incredible His plan is for me. With each day He is taking me deeper. I have no idea where this revelation will take me but I am excited about the Lord continuing the good work that He has begun in me:)
Go love someone today:)
Amen!!!
Thanks for sharing that word, needed to hear/read it.