Can These Bones Live?

Ezekiel 37:3a – He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" (NIV)

My dog, Sparky, and I went down The Trail for the first time this spring. It was a mild, sunny day, so different from the frigid weather that we had been having for the previous several months. He pranced and danced along happily, as I hobbled along behind him. I am not ready to prance and dance just yet, given the problem that I have been having with my legs. Maybe someday!

My eyes took in the vast expanse of waving, brown grasses and thin, broken stalks. The verdant fields and bright flowers of autumn had been ravaged by the wolves of winter, and only these sad-looking skeletons remained in their places. It was then that a strange thought popped into my mind. It seemed like a rather peculiar question: "Can these bones live?"

As I pondered this seemingly strange thought, I recalled that God had asked this question of Ezekiel the prophet in the valley of dry bones. The answer Ezekiel gave was, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."

However, my answer was different, and I can know because the Lord has assured us:

Genesis 8:22 – As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. (NIV)

Because He said so, we can be assured that these dry "bones" — fields — will certainly live again. Even as I looked down, I noticed bits of green poking through the wind-blasted earth. The new life of another spring was beginning.

As in nature, so it is in our lives. Words came to me as I felt the reassurance surging through me:

No pounding rain or driving sleet,
Not vicious cold or blistering heat,
No bitter wind or grinding feet,
Not even life's most crushing need
Can stop the growth of God's good seed.

No matter what we may face,
Through it all there will poke
A tiny leaf of hope.
Perhaps only a sliver at first,
Barely observable to the naked eye.
But with the help of the Holy Spirit,
It will grow to meet man's need,
For God is our persistent Seed.

Perhaps these words will be those seeds of hope for you reading this today. You can be assured that your new beginning is also coming as you trust in Him.

Prayer: Thank You, heavenly Father, that we can always be assured of Your provision in our lives. You plant seeds of hope in our hearts for everyday living. You water these seeds and show us how to live so that we may one day reap a harvest to share with others. Help us to keep our feet on Your good soil as we walk through this life with You, in the strength and power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

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