Lenten Devotional - Day 23

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:10-14

“I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 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.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.” (Ezek. 37:10-12)

  Deep within the souls of those struggling with AOD dependency is the belief that they are beyond hope, they are lost deep within the grave of despair. Recovery offers the possibility of resurrection. They need us to help them believe that recovery is possible.

  People in the midst their addictions believe the same as the people referenced by Ezekiel in today’s passage, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost.” (v. 11) God needs Jesus’ disciples to exercise their prophetic voice and proclaim what God can do, “to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves” (v. 12)

  We are called to proclaim a message they have never heard and to believe in someone they have never known. Prophets share the word of God with us, reminding us who we are as God’s people, something which has been true from the beginning of time and has faded from our memories. We all have days and moments when we feel, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost.” (v. 11) These moments come at times of grief, during sudden and rapid life changes, or emotional distress.

  The whole church is called by God to have a prophetic voice in our communities and proclaim that together with the Holy Spirit we have a partner in our faith. Jesus Christ leads us to the harvest which will breathe new life into our communities and help those affected by AOD problems rise to their feet to new life. We are also called to teach them how to tell their stories of restoration and redemption, how “they lived, and stood on their feet.” They have rich and meaningful stories about how God’s love and grace transformed their lives and we as the church need to hear their stories and the hope they show us and our communities.

  We all have stories of faith, heartache, hope, and grief capable of breathing new life into our communities. Communities which have arrived at a point where they have come to believe “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost;” (v. 11) Our prophetic voice allows these stories to live and breathe new life into our communities. We are called to tell our stories and share our hope, to encourage those with recovery stories, those with stories of grief and loss, those with stories of transformation, and those with stories of resurrection which lifted them up from the darkness. We have stories to tell which can breathe new life and raise up our communities from their graves of despair. What stories is God’s Spirit calling your church to tell and teach others to tell?

Lee McDermott, Contributor

Remember in Prayer: Individuals and families who feel hopeless about their current situation.

Click Here PDF - Day 23 Devotion