“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…
Ez 37:11 and 12
When people are discouraged they need to hear the word of the Lord. If we want to encourage them, our compassion, sympathy and good advice alone will fall far short. We must speak God’s word and remind them of His promises.
When we are feeling discouraged and alone, we must speak it to ourselves, reminding ourselves of what God has done for us. When we speak God’s word it releases power and changes situations. When we speak God’s word, we speak things into being by releasing its creative power. As we speak we will build our faith to believe and drive back the enemy. We answer his accusations with God’s word. It is a weapon in our hands; the sword of the Spirit.
“..Then you will know that I am the Lord.” Ez37:6
This phrase is repeated in verse 14 as an explanation of the passage and its significance.
““I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it,” declares the Lord.”
God promised to do more than just restore them to life, He would settle them in their own land. So often we think God has forgotten us, but His plan is so much bigger and better that ours.
When we come to end of ourselves and there is no hope without God, we will really know that He has done it. We must die to ourselves and trust God for the resurrection. Abraham believed that God could restore Isaac to life. (Heb 11:19) Jesus demonstrated to Mary that He was able to restore Lazarus to life, not just “on the last day”, but immediately.
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.““ Jn 11:25a
We are like Mary, believing that people will be raised to life when Jesus returns, but not now, not today. If only Jesus had been here, if only some great evangelist had prayed for me, … but now all hope is gone.
For God’s children, hope is never gone; it is never too late, or too difficult. No matter how dry the bones, no matter how far we have strayed we are never cut off.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom 8:38
Let us take heart and not become discouraged when the situation seems impossible. When the impossible happens, then we will know that God has done it.
