Ezekiel 37:1-14
My Story
Sometimes our world seems hopeless. Whenever I see the news about a natural disaster, a terrible crash, or a horrific tragedy, the world seems hopeless in those moments. But then something happens. Stories pour in of good Samaritans who risk their lives to help others, who give sacrificially so that broken lives can be put back together. Hope returns in tangible forms. And if you look closely, you can almost see the face of God in those who help. They remind us that the presence of God is always with us, always working, always helping. In those moments of hopelessness, God gives us hope.
Your Story
Has there been a time in your life when everything seemed hopeless? How did you respond? What happened? How did God give you back your hope? Discuss this time with your family, remembering to keep it age appropriate for your children.
Bible Story
Read Ezekiel 37:1-14.
Ezekiel was a citizen of Judea and a prophet during the time when the Judeans were exiled to Babylon almost 600 years before Jesus was born. He was the son of a priest and he wrote the book of Ezekiel. In Ezekiel, Ezekiel wrote about many visions, including visions of judgment as well as visions of hope.
Ezekiel 37 tells about one such vision. God spoke to Ezekiel through visions several times. A vision means that Ezekiel saw something happening that wasn’t actually happening. We know that God could take old dry bones and turn them back into a person if He wanted to, but this was a vision. God used this vision to show the people that He was giving them hope.
Israel had no hope. They were in exile and the people thought everything was over. They thought that God was punishing them for turning away from Him, and they thought they would die in a foreign land where they weren’t free—they couldn’t do what they wanted to do. But God told them that He was their hope, that He hadn’t turn His back on them, and that He was always with them. The dry bones represented the people and were empty and just sitting there. The people tried to do what they wanted instead of what God wanted—that’s like blowing up a balloon. It’s got air in it, but it still just sits there.
But when the people remembered who God was, that God would always be there for them, and that all their hope was in Him, it’s like putting helium in a balloon. When you put helium in a balloon, it floats. The dry bones didn’t move even after God put muscle and skin back on them. God had to breathe life into them to make them move. When God gives us hope, it’s like breathing new life into us. God’s hope changes us, because we know that no matter what happens, God will always be there. And God is better and more powerful than anything else. We don’t have to be like dry bones with no hope. We have God and new life!
Discussion
• Ask your children if they have ever felt hopeless. If they have, discuss the situation.
• Talk about what it means to have hope from God—how even though situations may not change, you feel differently about them.
Action and Prayer
• Find ways this week to remind others of the hope they can have in God.
• Thank God for the hope that He gives. Ask God to breathe new life into you and your family. Ask God to remind you that all of your hope is found in Him.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
Kevin Head began serving as Minister to Young Families at First Baptist Roswell, Georgia, in February 2012. He has pastored three churches in Kentucky and more recently served as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Lumberton, North Carolina. In 2007, Kevin and his wife, Amy, began a ministry-based counseling practice called New Perspectives for Life in East Cobb, Georgia. He is a graduate of Furman University (B.A.) and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Ph.D., M.Div.) in Louisville, Kentucky. Kevin was ordained by the First Baptist Church of Belvedere, South Carolina. His model of ministry is based on John 8 and the amazing, continual grace of Jesus Christ. Kevin and Amy have two children, Jenna and Joshua.
