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Not of this world…. (Devo reflection)

Ezekiel 37:11 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.’

I was reminded this morning that the valley of dry bones represented not only death but also disgrace. For bones to be left in that condition, they would have had to have been denied a proper burial, meaning these weren’t just symbolic of exhaustion and loss of hope but also of disgrace.

Ezekiel 37:12 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.

I am reminded of Isaiah 43:19. God is making a way in the wilderness. He is doing a new thing, even though we cannot yet perceive it. He is asking us to act in faith that He is who He says, that He keeps His promises, no matter what our eyes are telling us.

Ezekiel 37:13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

Lord, When I look at the valley of dry bones, I see death, despair, disgrace. Thank You that Your vision is not of this world, that Your sight is not limited as mine is. Help me, like Ezekiel, to act in faith in You, despite what I see. Amen.

Ezekiel 37:14 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.’”

Have a blessed day.

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Dry bones…. (Devo reflect)

Ezekiel 37:11 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.’ 

Who among us hasn’t felt completely dried up at times, like they have given everything they have to give with nothing left? I know I have. That pretty much described me at the end of the past semester.

Ezekiel 37:12 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. 

Verse 14 gives the answer to the question of renewal: “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live,” declares the Lord. Reconnecting with the Lord is the only way these dry bones can live again.

Ezekiel 37:13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 

Lord, Help me to seek You daily so that I don’t reduce myself to dry bones in the day-to-day of life. Reconnect me to You, renew Your Spirit within me. Restore my soul. Amen.

Ezekiel 37:14 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.’”

Have a blessed day.

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Speaking life…. (devo reflection)

Ezekiel 37:7 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. 

We have the power to speak life to one another. Think about that for a moment. And it doesn’t have to be something complicated. I have taken the time to ask a server who seemed stressed, “You look like you’ve had a hard day. Are you ok?” Her response was brief, but her demeanor seemed lighter after the exchange.

Ezekiel 37:8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

I have a friend who thinks compliments to strangers are frivolous, but I strongly disagree. Complimenting strangers on their attire or hair, their eyes or smile, or simply saying, “Beautiful day, isn’t it? I hope it’s a great one for you,” these little things matter. I know because they matter to me–both hearing them and saying them. It is a little, tiny way to speak life to others. And it’s important.

Ezekiel 37:9 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.’ ” 

Lord, Sometimes I make it so weighty a task to be Your hands and feet when all You want is for me to speak life to Your children, to love and encourage others. Help me to speak life to others at every opportunity in every way possible. Amen.

Ezekiel 37:10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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Through Him, in Him, with Him…. (devo reflection)

Ezekiel 37:3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

What an interesting juxtaposition reading today’s scripture on the heels of last week’s readings in Mark 6. This feels to me very much like God is doing with Ezekiel what Jesus was doing with the disciples–teaching them that through Him, in Him, with Him, they have the power to act for Him.

Ezekiel 37:4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 

Already in my mind’s eye, I can hear myself giving the Lord Moses’s excuses for rejecting the call: “Not me, Lord. I’m not strong enough, not powerful enough, not convincing enough for anyone to listen. I can’t do what You are asking.” But Ezekiel listens. He soaks it in. He doesn’t immediately start putting up obstacles and explaining why he can’t. I can learn a lot from him.

Ezekiel 37:5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 

Lord, You call me to be Your hands and feet. Forgive me for the times that I am afraid, for the times that, instead of listening and obeying, I give excuse after excuse. Help me to be brave, to listen, to act in You, with You, through You. Help me to shine Your light. Amen.

Ezekiel 37:6 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.’ ”

Have a blessed day.

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Stay intentionally connected to the Father…. (devo reflection)

Mark 6:53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 

The people want healing. They want hope. They clamor for Jesus. Jesus understands that what He is doing takes time and intentionality as well as a solid connection to God. He knows it is exhausting and takes intentional renewal. He knows the sick will always be there. The sinners will always be there. That there will always be someone who needs a word, a touch from Him.

Mark 6:54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 

Perhaps those are the lessons He wants to impart to the disciples in this chapter: God provides. But it takes connection and intentionality. It takes seeking prayer time and renewal. Because those who need Him will keep coming…because the hope of Jesus is a powerful force. So Jesus’s disciples have to take care of themselves and stay intentionally connected to the Father so that they can be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Mark 6:55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 

Lord, Thank You for the lessons You provide, even when we have a difficult time understanding. Help me to be intentional about reconnecting with You and renewing Your Spirit within me. Draw me closer. Amen.

Mark 6:56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Have a blessed day.

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The long-term goal…. (devo reflection)

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He was about to pass by them…. (devo reflection)

Mark 6:47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 

One of the big things that strikes me in this passage is that even though Jesus sent the disciples ahead and stayed back to pray, He knew what was going on with them. He knew they were straining at the oars because the wind was against them. I feel certain that He knew they were afraid, which is why he went out on the lake to them.

Mark 6:48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them…. 

What I don’t understand is that little bit in verse 48, “He was about to pass by them….” Why was He going to pass by them? Did He need an invitation to stop? Should His presence–walking on the lake, no less–have been enough to quell their fear? He was so acutely aware of their distress that He walked out to them. I struggle with the rationale behind “He was about to pass by them….”

Mark 6:49 …but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out… 

Lord, There is so much that I don’t understand. Help me not to get lost in those things. What I know is that You love Your children fiercely, that You know what’s going on with us, that You come to us, are with us when we struggle. Be with me as I ponder the things that I don’t understand. Give me wisdom and guidance. Draw me closer to You. Amen.

Mark 6:50 …because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 

Have a blessed day.

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God provides…. (devo reflection)

Mark 6:38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

What struck me as I read today’s scripture was one tiny adjective in verse 39: green (see below). While the disciples are fretting about how in the world they are going to feed all these people, the narrator (in 31 out of 32 translations on BibleHub.com) describes the grass that Jesus directed them to have people sit on as green.

Mark 6:39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 

It is such a small detail, but it speaks to the goodness and provision of God. Five thousand men plus women and children have been tromping all over that grass and it’s still green? God provides. Five thousand men plus women and children and two little fishies and five loaves of bread? God provides. All those daily things that I worry and fret over? God provides.

Mark 6:40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 

Lord, Thank You for reminding me of your love and provision through one tiny little adjective. Just like You can keep the grass green under all those feet, just like You can feed the masses with so little, You can take care of any need, any worry, that I have. I just have to trust You with it, lay it at Your feet, leave it there. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Mark 6:41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 

Have a blessed day.

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Learning to think as Jesus thinks…. (devo reflection)

Mark 6:35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 

Sometimes I am so like the disciples, so literal, so practical, so blind. I could see myself, doing the calculations, realizing it will be time to eat soon, “Oh, we need to let them go get food. We certainly don’t have food to feed them.” And then Jesus says, ”You give them something to eat.”

Mark 6:36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

I would have balked–”What in the world are we going to feed them? Do you *see* how many people there are?!?” But Jesus is teaching them a lesson–in what? Trust? Provision? His goodness? He feeds five thousand men plus women and children. I wonder what the disciples were feeling afterward. Joy? Incredulity? Relief?

Mark 6:37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

Lord, Learning to think as You think is hard. I am concrete and practical. I tend to think in very concrete, practical ways. But You think with love, mercy, and compassion. You see a way where I see no way. Thank You for Your perception and sovereignty. Help me to follow Your lead. Amen.

Mark 6:38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

Have a blessed day.

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A quiet place…. (devo reflection)

Mark 6:31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

The introvert in me breaths a deep sigh of relief at the last sentence of verse 31. I like people. I really do, but they are exhausting. After time with lots of people, I desperately need “a quiet place” to “get some rest.”

Mark 6:32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 

But even when they go off in a boat to a solitary place, the people follow them. Jesus describes them as being “like sheep without a shepherd,” lost, wandering, afraid. He has compassion on them and He teaches them, even though He is exhausted and was on His way to get some peace and rest.

Mark 6:33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 

Lord, When I am exhausted, I tend to shut down, shut out the world, withdraw. Folks who run across me during those times don’t get the best of me. Thank You for the reminder that You’ve got me, that You will give me the strength, and that I need to point people to You. Always. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Mark 6:34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Have a blessed day. I love you.