READ: ISAIAH 43:19; 61:3; EZEKIEL 37:1-14; PSALM 107:20

Draw near, Lord I’m waiting for You To do a new thing, A God-thing. Bring beauty only You can From these dust and ashes. Open the grave and Breathe Your life Into me Over me All around me. Restore my hope and Resurrect these bones to Praise You once again. • Kelly Hope Parke

• One of the Scriptures that inspired today’s poem is Ezekiel 37. When the Israelites were saying, “We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone” (verse 11), God spoke to the prophet Ezekiel, showing him a valley covered with dry bones. Then the Lord said, “Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!” (verse 5). And that’s exactly what happened: the bones became living people! This passage points forward to Jesus, the one who died on the cross and came back to life so that people who were dead in their sins (that’s all of us) could be forgiven and made alive. If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, this is your story too. You have the Holy Spirit, the breath of life, in you. And when Jesus returns, He will raise you from the dead to live forever with Him on the new heavens and new earth. For more about this good news, see our "Know Jesus" page.

• Is there anything in your life right now that feels like those dry bones—things that seem hopeless and beyond repair? Consider taking some time to talk to God about whatever is on your mind. You can be honest with Him about how badly your suffering hurtsand how much you long for Him to bring hope. Remember, Jesus is with you, and nothing can separate you from His love. (Romans 8:38-39)

• Why is it never foolish to hope in Jesus? (Hint: read Romans 5:5; Hebrews 4:14-16; Revelation 21:1-5)

“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!” Ezekiel 37:5 (NLT)