I Got Nothin’
Over the years, I’ve heard many sermons from Ezekiel 37, the dry bones chapter. It’s the most popular content for sermons from the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel is a difficult book to understand with all the imagery, metaphors, and similes. This time, however, a different portion stood out to me. In verse 3, God asks Ezekiel if these bones can live again. Ezekiel says, “You know”. In other words, “I have no idea, why ask me, I don’t know.” I envision Ezekiel shrugging his shoulders and shaking is head. Beats me, God.
How many times have we felt that way? How many times have we screwed our mouth to the side and told a friend, “I don’t know.” If we consider our world today, pandemics, racial unrest, political craziness and the ‘laws’ our congress, the representative of the people come up with? I don’t know. It looks hopeless to me.
Tony Evans suggested that’s exactly the place where God can work, in the place where we have no idea what to do.
Apparently, I had a lesson to be learned because the next morning, my study was Acts 3. Peter and John are accosted by a lame man. Peter tells the man, he’s got nothing, but what he got from the Lord on Pentecost morning, he’ll share that.
Peter might have shaken his head and shrugged at the man’s request for help because Peter had no money to give. If the lame man asked, “what am I supposed to do?” their answer would be “I don’t know”. Peter chose to share what he did know. He had been infused with power from God through the Holy Spirit and “in the name of Jesus of Nazareth” the man was healed.
I don’t know what the answer is for America. I don’t know what the outcome will be for friends struggling with cancer treatments and diagnosis. I don’t know where the next job is for a friend who’s being terminated. I don’t know how our teenagers can navigate the world they are living in. IDK. Is there any hope? You know, God.
I’ve got nothing but God knows, I can’t help anyone but “in the name of Jesus of Nazareth,” let’s walk forward and trust the One who can.
