For the last few months, I have been”randomly” opening the bible and reading wherever the pages fall.  And each time, God directs me to something I need to hear and the words have made sense to me (for the most part), in a different way than if I just tried to read a particular chapter.  Today’s verse is a little different.   I didn’t open the bible to it, the verse was thrown in my face.  I spent the week “cop a squatting” in someone else’s office.  I don’t know the person whose office I have been using, but on a post it note under her computer it said:  ” when there is no hope in the future, there is no power in the present.” And cited to Ezekial 37:1-14.  This quote immediately struck me as powerful.  Our hope in God is what gives us strength and power.  I know this is true.  When we lose that hope we lose our power.  We are weak.  I could not wait to open the bible and read this passage.   Instead, this is what the bible said:

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he led me out in the spirit of the LORD and set me in the center of the broad valley. It was filled with bones.  He made me walk among them in every direction. So many lay on the surface of the valley! How dry they were!  He asked me: Son of man, can these bones come back to life? “Lord GOD,” I answered, “you alone know that.”  Then he said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Listen! I will make breath enter you so you may come to life.  I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow over you, cover you with skin, and put breath into you so you may come to life. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.  I prophesied as I had been commanded. A sound started up, as I was prophesying, rattling like thunder. The bones came together, bone joining to bone.  As I watched, sinews appeared on them, flesh grew over them, skin covered them on top, but there was no breath in them.  Then he said to me: Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man! Say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: From the four winds come, O breath, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.  I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath entered them; they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.  He said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel! They are saying, “Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off.”  Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: Look! I am going to open your graves; I will make you come up out of your graves, my people, and bring you back to the land of Israel.  You shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and make you come up out of them, my people!  I will put my spirit in you that you may come to life, and I will settle you in your land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD. I have spoken; I will do it—oracle of the LORD.

Ezekiel 37:1-14

I will admit I was initially disappointed that the quote was not directly written in the bible.  (I did a quick google search and it appears to be from something else all together and is often quoted in business and secular settings.)

And I had to read through this a couple of times because I was looking for the easy quote instead of listening to what was behind the words.  And even though the exact quote is not there, the meaning is. When we have hope and faith in God nothing is impossible. God can create an army out of dry bones.  We may be as far gone as we think possible but when we put hope in God, hope in our future with Him, we have power.  We can do anything.  God brings us out to the brink, He may show us the dry bones, he may show us the depths of despair.  But He will also show us that hope is never lost when we set our eyes on Him and listen to His word.

Lord, I hear you.  I am listening.  I have hope in your love and mercy! I know that you have the power to do anything.  My strength is in you!  No matter what my day has in store for me, I am ready with you at my side.