I was thinking about Ezekiel some time back. When God, in a vision, asked him if the dry bones could come back to life, he told God that only He knew. Rather than overtly answer in the affirmative “YES”, he demurs the question to the God who knows. While he didn’t deny, I think he was not fully convinced of the possibility of the dry bones coming back to life. But He put His hope in the God who can do all things. God in His grace decided to work with this little faith; perhaps this is what Jesus meant when He talked about faith as minute as a mustard seed.
In Ezekiel 37:1-14, a detailed account of the prophecy of Ezekiel to the dry bones is given. In obedience to the instructions given him, Ezekiel spoke to the dry bones, commanding them to hear the word of God. As he prophesied, whatever he said came to life right before his eyes; the bones came together, bone to bone, tendons and flesh appeared on them, and skin covered them. When he prophesied to the breath, it entered the dry bones now covered with skin.
I particularly like what God says to Ezekiel in v. 13 “Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord…” When we are hard-pressed on every side and it seems like all hope is lost, as it were with the house of Israel, we are reminded that our hope is in God, the God who is well able to revive and restore. We see His work in our lives, and just as He promised Abraham, we realize that He is our exceedingly great reward. It becomes clear to us that in the grand scheme of things, whether in life or in death, God wins! Everything is working out for our good and for His glory.
Mark 9:14 – 29 records an occasion where a demon-possessed boy whose father had brought to Jesus’ disciples for them to cast out the demons. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain and desperation in the father as he helplessly watched the demons take control in his son’s life and harm him, sometimes by throwing the boy in water or fire. After bringing Jesus up to speed on the happenings, in a moment of despondency, as recorded in v.22, the father says, “But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” To this, Jesus responds, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (NKJV) Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (V. 24) In that moment, the father had to rise above everything he knew to be true and simply believe. He had impotently watched his son suffer; perhaps he had been to numerous doctors, seeking for help but every time the spirit seized his son and sought to destroy him, his heart broke. Maybe his heart was sick from the hope of his child getting better deferred. In absolute surrender, he cried out “ Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!“ Jesus, in His mercy, heals the child.
Part of the reason why we are so prone to unbelief is because we fail to see God at work in our circumstances, especially concerning matters that have tarried. Culture has inculcated in us an unnecessary pressure, a fear of missing out and especially with the prevalent use of social media, we feel as though everyone else is making progress, doing important things apart from us. We are quick to forget that even before we were knit together in out mothers’ womb, God knew us and He pre-destined. For this reason, He is perfectly in control in our lives. There is nothing that God does or in this case does not do, that is not for us. We can rest in the assurance that in Him all things hold together.
The Psalmist asks “And now, Lord, what do I wait for and expect? My hope and expectation are in You.” Psalm 39:7 AMPC. C. H. Spurgeon says, “What is there in these phantoms to enchant me? Why should I linger where the prospect is so uninviting, and the present so trying? It were worse than vanity to linger in the abodes of sorrow to gain a heritage of emptiness.” All of our cares are fleeting; be it what we shall eat, drink or even wear. Solomon, who was arguably the richest and wisest man to have lived, came to this realization in Ecclesiastes 3:14 when he proclaims that “Everything God does will endure forever, nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.“
Just like David, C. H. Spurgeon continues to stir our hope in GOD. He says, “The psalmist, therefore, turns to his God, in disgust of all things else; he has thought on the world and all things in it, and is relieved by knowing that such vain things are all passing away; he has cut all cords which bound him to earth, and is ready to sound “Boot and saddle, up and away.” My hope is in thee. The Lord is self existent and true, and therefore worthy of the confidence of men; he will live when all the creatures die, and his fulness will abide when all second causes are exhausted; to him, therefore, let us direct our expectation, and on him let us rest our confidence. Away from sand to rock let all wise builders turn themselves, for if not today, yet surely before long, a storm will rise before which nothing will be able to stand but that which has the lasting element of faith in God to cement it. David had but one hope, and that hope entered within the veil, hence he brought his vessel to safe anchorage, and after a little drifting all was peace.“
God’s answer to why is always “trust me” and thus we can proclaim: “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.” We can loudly proclaim that we believe in His good and perfect plan for our lives; standing secure in the Father’s agenda, on account of who He is. Beloved, would we entrust our lives to the one who first loved us. Lord I believe, help my unbelief!
Love and Light,
Quintessence
