Trust God with the Impossible

Text: Ezekiel 37:11-14

Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore, prophesy, and say to them, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

A brief background to the book of Ezekiel

Ezekiel is ascribed to be the author of the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel is known from scripture to be a prophet and a priest of God (come from a priestly family). He was part of the Babylonian Exile. The meaning of his name is understood to show the strength of God. The world Bible Commentary suggests three probably meaning to his name – 1. God is strong, prevails 2 (Vrs. 3:14) 2. God makes strong (vrs. 30:25; 34:16) 3. God makes hard (vrs. 3:8). Ezekiel was commissioned to prophesy the sins of Israel, their captivity and also to bring hope to his hearers. That it is only by living peace with themselves and with God will they see the day of light. One of the significance of Ezekiel’s message was that in the defeat and despair of God’s people, they need to affirm His sovereignty.

Israel’s Hope Israel’s hope has been dashed by their Babylonian Masters. They never thought this could happen to them. Irrespective of the strong warnings from Ezekiel, Israel disobeyed the directives of God to repent from their sinful ways. After thirty years in exile, Israel’s hope to come back to the land is lost. They disappointed in themselves and the God they serve because they are weary of delivery themselves from their slavery masters. Israel has necessitated their own situated because of their failure to obey the one true God who has been their source of power and refuge.

Lessons for us as Christians today

1. Never lose hope in God The restoration of our dry bones in this life is only dependent on our trust in God. It sounds easy and simply to say “I trust in God”, but the real challenge comes in when we are called upon to obey these words “Trust God” during times challenges and difficulties. When things seem scrambling in your lives, that is when our faith begins to fade. That is when we lose sight of trusting God with the impossible.

We hear and read scriptures on miraculous signs and wonders that have taken place in the past. These records inspire us. It raises our hope and believe in God but when we are faced with real challenge in life, all the miraculous signs and wonders we hear and read about get eroded from our minds. The things we say and do communicate our dashed hopes. We begin to think that once our human abilities are not able to solve the challenges, nothing can be done about it. Even when we think of a power beyond us, we think of other powers other than the power of our true God.

We begin to think and believe that once I have sinned against God and facing the repercussions of the sins, there is no way I can come back to the original state unless I change the God I bow to. It is foolishness to think that way. Psalm 9:10 says, “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 20:7 – “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”

2. Trust Him with the impossible and acknowledge Him in all your ways

The true God of the Old Testament is the same God today and He makes the impossible possible. Why God does what He does, our human mind cannot comprehend it, we are only to obey by trusting in Him. You may lose your spouse, house, dreams and hopes, struggling to pay your rent, fail in your business, demoted or dismissed from your job, battling with sickness or a dangerous disease. Matthew 5:36 says “You cannot make your hair white or black”. There are always unanswered questions because somethings do not make sense in our lives. Remember that whatever happens to us whether from our own shortfalls or not, God is not going to allow it if something good will not come out of it. He works are not random, everything He does is part of His plans.

You may not see or understand what is going on around you but God has your best interest at heart. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Most Christians battle with conditional trust. This conditional trust prevents us from acknowledging and understanding things God does in our lives daily. Faith is trusting God when things does not make sense

I conclude with this text Isaiah 26:4 – “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

#God#dailyinspiration#Trust