Rosemary Writes

Isaiah 61:4 says of those that know Jesus: "They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated" In one way or another, each of us have been purposed by God to be builders and restorers, advancing the kingdom of God in our own circles.  That could look very different for someone who stays home to raise their children full time to someone called to be a business leader to someone called to be a campus missionary, etc.  But, just like when Nehemiah purposed to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem (which was devastated by war) and faced a people that he had to motivate to rise up and rebuild, or threats from the enemy that could bring fear and discouragement, with pressure to give up, we also face similar circumstances at one point or another in our lives.  Yet, instead of giving in, Nehemiah boldly encouraged the Israelites to rise up and continue building the wall.  But  he instructed them to do it  whi...

Ezekiel 37:1-14 has an interesting account of an encounter between the prophet (by the same name) and God. God takes him to a valley full of dry bones (obviously belonging to dead people that had been there for quite a while)! God then asks him a question (which He fully intended to answer anyway) whether they could live. Ezekiel then throws it back onto God to answer, which He does. This whole story is a great example of prayer. Prayer is not one way or one sided only. In prayer, we take time to listen to God, through His word speaking to us and by His Spirit that lives in us and speaks to us through a still small voice. This takes discipline and time to develop. We need to set aside time to read His word, and train our eyes and ears to be open to what He is saying and discern His voice. Secondly, we then have to do something with what God speaks to us, and that requires obedience and action.  In this instance, it involved Ezekiel taking ...