April 20, 2019
For full passage click: Ezekiel 37:1-14 …“Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.”’” vs. 11
The Israelites living in Babylon had given up hope. They and their descendants would die in the land of captivity and they would never know the land of promise. The prophet Ezekiel paints another picture for them. The Lord would breathe on them and they would be restored to their homeland. Like the bones in the barren valley, they would regain sinew and flesh and the Spirit of God would give them new life. Today is Holy Saturday. We’ve heard the awful story of Good Friday and Easter is yet to come. Death has come–life awaits–but it still hasn’t arrived! Some wonder if it’s ever going to come at all. They know all about the darkness of the grave, that’s where they live. They’ve known suffering, betrayal, pain, death–disappointment is an everyday visitor. When those dark days succeed one another in a relentless pattern, such persons find it really hard to hang on to hope. Even Easter seems like a fantasy, a kind of wishful thinking conjured up by well-meaning religious folks to lift them from their doldrums. But no one stays in the grave forever! One day even the hopeless will hear the wind of the Spirit begin to blow and they’ll feel the breath of God, and Easter will be a reality!
Thought for the Day: What does hopelessness feel like?
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