Prayer For Hope
December, 2018
Ezekiel 37: 1- 10 The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me ot pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
Father God, I thank You that You see our valley ... You see our dry bones. You see the places where we feel lonely and isolated ... The places that we feel we may never get out of ... our valleys of depression or addiction. You see the dry bones ... bones of pain, hopelessness, shattered dreams, sin that seems to be out of control, tired bones, bones that feel useless and run down, bones that are struggling to stand up and keep going ... Or even people in our lives that need You desperately and are walking around dry. I thank you that none of this is outside Your view. Jesus, you see all of it. May we not try to hide our bones from you, Father. Holy Spirit, I ask you to reveal any dry bones we may be carrying with us, a valley we may be walking in, a place, a person, or a situation that needs hope and life.
And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I thank You Lord that You always ask us to contemplate with You. Even though You know the answers to all the questions ... (Isaiah 1:18) "Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord ....
So I answered, "O Lord God, You know." Again He said ot me, "Prophesy ot these bones, and say to them, O' dry bones, hear the word of theLord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord."
Begin to ask God to send life and hope into every area of dry bones … because just as water brings parched earth to life, so does the living water of the Holy Spirit. ... Isaiah 44:3 "For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; "
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over, but there was no breath in them.
I thank You Father that You always put things on in Your order, that You do not put on the flesh before the sinews. And I thank you that nothing is impossible for You. What seems like a hopeless valley of old bones is a field of opportunity and possibilities for You. We are never too lost, too alone, too far gone, too steeped in sin, too tired, in too much trouble, or too hopeless for You to encounter us and change us with a single breath. ... (Hosea 2:15) Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. ..... God You take what was meant for evil and You turn it for good. You meet us in our wilderness and You speak kindly to us and lead us into Your heart. Lord, lead this church into Your heart. Lead our city into Your heart.
Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, "Thus says the Lord God: "Comefrom thefour winds, Obreath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' " So I prophesied as H e commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
I speak life over these bones and ask you Father God to send your Holy Spirit and breathe life according to Your word into every dry bone in this house, into every dry bone in this city. Nothing is impossible for you Father. Your word declares it so. No situation is too big for you. I pray hope into this house and into every individual and into every situation. For where there is hope, our eyes look upward. Where there is hope, the warrior bride is not stagnant. Where there is hope, there is the Spirit and the bride saying, "Come! Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water oflife," (Revelation 22:17). There is no situation that is hopeless to you Father. You give us life to become an exceedingly great army. That means you give us hope, and strength, and fortitude. (Zechariah 1:6) "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord of hosts. You give us a purpose and a plan and a future. ... (Jeremiah 29:11) For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Psalm 107:19-21 "Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. He sent out His word and healed them; he rescued them from hte grave. Let them give thanks ot the Lordfor His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind."
Thank you, Father for all your blessings. You are so, so good. Thank you that as the rain and snow come down from heaven and water the earth that Your word goes out and does not return empty (Isaiah 55:10-11). I thank You that it shall accomplish its purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which You sent it.
In Jesus name, amen.
RM