READ: ISAIAH 43:19; 61:3; EZEKIEL 37:1-14; PSALM 107:20

Draw near, Lord I’m waiting for You To do a new thing, A God-thing. Bring beauty only You can From these dust and ashes. Open the grave and Breathe Your life Into me Over me All around me. Restore my hope and Resurrect these bones to Praise You once again. • Kelly Hope Parke

• One of the Scriptures that inspired today’s poem is Ezekiel 37. When the Israelites were saying, “We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone” (verse 11), God spoke to the prophet Ezekiel, showing him a valley covered with dry bones. Then the Lord said, “Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!” (verse 5). And that’s exactly what happened: the bones became living people! This passage points forward to Jesus, the one who died on the cross and came back to life so that people who were dead in their sins (that’s all of us) could be forgiven and made alive. If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, this is your story too. You have the Holy Spirit, the breath of life, in you. And when Jesus returns, He will raise you from the dead to live forever with Him on the new heavens and new earth. For more about this good news, see our "Know Jesus" page.

• Is there anything in your life right now that feels like those dry bones—things that seem hopeless and beyond repair? Consider taking some time to talk to God about whatever is on your mind. You can be honest with Him about how badly your suffering hurtsand how much you long for Him to bring hope. Remember, Jesus is with you, and nothing can separate you from His love. (Romans 8:38-39)

• Why is it never foolish to hope in Jesus? (Hint: read Romans 5:5; Hebrews 4:14-16; Revelation 21:1-5)

“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!” Ezekiel 37:5 (NLT)

READ: 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17; GALATIANS 5:13-23; PHILIPPIANS 2:13

Last night I accidentally let a popsicle melt on my desk. It dripped down onto my manuscript, and fifty pages of a book I was writing were ruined.

The amazing thing about all this is that I wasn’t the least bit upset. It truly astonished me that I felt no anger or frustration over it. God must have been working in me again, because this surely wasn’t the old me. The old me would have cried out something like, “Forget it—it’s not worth it. I’m going to quit writing this!” (Although I wouldn’t have quit.)

How God does it, I don’t know. I don’t feel anything going on inside. A light doesn’t flash and display the words “I’m different today.” But somehow, in God’s own timing, I am being lovingly changed, little by little, into the image of His Son. The fruit of the Spirit is beginning to blossom in my soul.

This time the particular fruit was patience, or maybe it should be called longsuffering. Whatever you call it, it was something not evident in me yesterday, and it certainly wasn’t something I brought forth from myself. It’s God’s work. • Sharon Roberts

• If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, believing in His death and resurrection, He lives in us through the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit works in us, He produces fruit in our lives: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Have you ever been surprised to see one of these fruits pop up in your life? What was that like? Consider taking a moment to praise Jesus for this!

• As we grow in our faith, Jesus has so much patience with us. He loves us, and He knows that we will continue to struggle with sin until the day He returns. And He wants to help us. So when we fail, we can confess our sins to Him and rest in His sure forgiveness (1 John 1:9–2:1). He won’t give up on us. He keeps walking with us, forming us more and more into His perfect image (2 Corinthians 3:18). Consider taking some time to talk to Jesus in prayer, confessing any sins that come to mind and resting in His patient love.

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 (CSB)

READ: MATTHEW 11:28-30; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-7; HEBREWS 4:14-16; 1 PETER 1:22

When I was growing up, my grandma was always ready for visitors. She’d often have homemade cookies that she would plate up for us, along with a glass of cold milk. Or if she didn’t have any baked, then she would get out a package of cookies and serve them up.

She welcomed us warmly, and our visits always ended with a hug.

Those were some special times, and looking back now, I think she gave us a good example of pure love, like God offers us.

God is always ready for a visit. He always welcomes us. He is always prepared for us to sit and talk for a while. God meets us with comfort and love.

You never have to feel like it’s a bad time to go to God. You never have to worry that He won’t be prepared for your prayers. Just like a loving grandparent, God is always there for you. He will always hear you. He will always love you.

If you ever begin to doubt God’s love for you, then consider the most loving person in your life—and know that He loves you even more than they do. He wanted so badly to become your Father that He went all the way to the cross and grave for you! Jesus died and rose again so you could be forgiven and adopted into God’s family. That means, if you’ve put your trust in Jesus, God is your heavenly Father. So remember, you are His priceless creation, and you are infinitely special to Him. He always wants to hear from you. • Bethany Acker

• Do you have someone in your life who is always welcoming and ready to visit? This is the kind of love God has for you! He is always eager for you to “visit” by drawing near to Him. Can you picture God this way? Consider taking some time to draw near to Him in prayer, and receive His warmth in whatever way you need it today—whether it be sharing in your joy, comforting you in your pain, listening compassionately as you process frustration, giving wisdom and direction in your confusion, covering you with forgiveness as you confess your sins, or something else.

[Jesus said,] “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NIV)