Can These Bones Live?

Recently I was in a meeting at church and the pastor asked us several questions about the hopes for the new year and there were two that he asked that I just could not answer.

He asked “what are you hoping to see God do in you?” And he asked “what are you hoping to see God do thru you?” The moment I saw those questions I could feel my heart begin to race. See I only know a couple of people on this team and I am not one to share in groups especially when I do not know people. I could in my mind think of the many things I wanted to see God do in me. To not be so afraid to share in groups or talk in front of people about real things. To be able to say what is on my mind without being nervous and freaking out inside. But, when it came to me, my answer was “I don’t know yet.”

I had not yet sat down and even thought or prayed about my verse for this year. In my heart and mind as I left and prayed as I drove home a phrase kept coming to mind. “can these bones live.” Over and over this question came to my mind and instantly hearing this question I knew where my verse was going to be from

“The hand of the Lord was on 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, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “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! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds 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 people 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: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 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.’ ””

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭37:1-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This section was where I saw the answer to the questions because what God was going to do in me was the same as what he was going to do through me.

Ezekiel prophesied to the people of God who had lost their hope, and that the Spirit of the Lord was going to be in them and restore. This year God is going to restore hope of dreams that have long been dry. He is going to do all those things I initially thought, because those things have all come because of hope being gone. This is not going to be a thing that happens in me but also that this year this will also be something that God is going to do thru me.

What is your verse this year? What are you hoping God is going to do in and thru you?