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 A collective reflection on God’s grace and our chances for renewal Wednesday, March 12, 2025 |
No valley too dry Ezekiel 37:1-14 Ezekiel stood in a valley of bones—lifeless, brittle, beyond repair. It was a place of seeming despair, without hope. Yet God asked, Can these bones live? Lent can remind us of our own lifeless deserts—places where hope seems spent, where loss or weariness settle in like dust. But the heart of Lent is not despair. It is preparation. It is expectation. It is standing in the valley, listening for the voice that calls dead things to life and believing it to be so. Reading Ezekiel’s description of the desert valley around him, reminds me of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. Gandalf (yep, the wizard in a hat) and his rag-tag company journey through the Mines of Moria, a dark and foreboding cave tucked into the side of a mountain. It is a place of shadows; bones upon bones in every nook and cranny. And yet, the company presses on, step by step, driven by something greater than fear. Though all-encompassing, they held onto hope for deliverance. God does not leave Ezekiel staring at dry bones, surrounded, nor alone. He commands him to speak, to call forth breath and to declare what seems impossible: that these bones will live again. And before Ezekiel’s eyes, the Spirit of God moves, and the valley of death becomes an army of life. Lent reminds us that no valley is too dry, no situation too lost, and no heart too weary for the restoring breath of God. This season is not just about reflection; it is about renewal. It is about walking through dark places with confidence, knowing that you are not walking alone. Even in the valley, God is working. We may not see deliverance or renewal in our ideal timing but we can trust that God is with us in the valley. Even in the waiting, resurrection is on its way. PRAYER FOR TODAY: God of life, breathe into my weary places. Where I see only dry bones, help me trust that you see restoration. When the path feels uncertain, remind me that you are leading me toward hope. Strengthen my faith to believe that even now, You are at work, bringing renewal in ways I cannot yet see. Still my striving, Lord, and help me rest in you. Amen. By Brooke Hodnefield Lent beckons us, a time for looking inward, a spiritual refresh. We’re asked to walk into the ‘desert’ with Jesus. It sounds empty, a wasteland, but it’s often in desert spaces that we can encounter God most clearly. Like Jesus’ forty days alone, we’re invited to shed the clutter of our lives and face what’s deep inside. This week’s reflections will delve into what the desert means in scripture and spiritual stories, how this time of seeming nothingness can actually be full of God’s giving, testing, and close connection. We’ll ponder how the desert, where things are scarce, shows us how much God really provides, and how being alone can make us see his constant presence. We invite you to let the ‘desert’ become a holy place for growing spiritually and encountering God. |
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