Summer Recap & Ezekiel 37

Wow! This summer has truly come & gone! Sooooo many great memories, time spent with friends, birthdays celebrated, and a TON of great news to share! Here are some of the things that happened this summer and for which I am soooo incredibly grateful to God for!!

1. SUPER BIG NEWS & LOTS OF CHANGE COMING TO THE BREAUX HOUSEHOLD!

After the last day of school, I found out I was pregnant!!! It has been an amazing journey so far! Eddie and I are so anxious to meet our little munchkin!! I am just entering the 2nd trimester & everything has been going well! We made the pregnancy public 1 week ago, and we are so encouraged by everyone's love and encouragement. 

2. WEDDING BELLS ARE RINGING! MY BEST FRIEND IS GETTING MARRIED!!!! YAY!!

3. I LAUNCHED MY 1st #instasale ON FB & INSTAGRAM TO COLLECT MONEY FOR SPECIAL MISSION!

I did it! I had been writing, thinking, dreaming, and praying about it... and I went for it. I felt sooooo encouraged by everyone's support! I plan on continuing! God is faithful! 

4. WE WENT TO VISIT OUR FRIENDS IN NEW MEXICO 

5. I AM 60% INTO MY PLAN TO READ THE CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE IN A YEAR! 

Which is really what I wanted to write about today... 

God,

 You have  been so great to me this year... I am so excited to be entering my 29th year of life, the hope of meeting our baby in January, seeing my best friend get married, and continuing to deepen my walk with you. One of the challenges that I am facing is surrendering all these things that are pretty much out of my control, especially when it comes to the baby. The old testament has been such a refreshing way of getting to know you, who you have always been and continue to be. I have learned so much of your character. I once thought that the God you were in the Old Testament was a harsh, unmerciful, cold, and distant God. As I dig into books like Jeremiah & Ezequiel, I am seeing just how wrong I was all along. You are such a LOVING and MERCIFUL GOD! I see your heart and character all throughout my readings. Thank you for showing your true self to me. 

Today, I read Ezekiel 37. A lot of us are probably very familiar with this account. The Valley of Dry Bones. I remember reading this scripture before, and thinking how odd and cryptic it would be to do something like that or even to witness it. But today, in this point of my life I am AMAZED by what happened there... and better yet, God's heart behind it. 

1. Ezekiels Response

I am blown away by Ezekiel's obedience to God throughout this book. But in this chapter his response to God's question in verse 3 really stood out to me. WOW.

He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” 

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

WOW. Sovereign LORD, you alone know... Those words keep resounding in my mind and whispering peace into my heart. I think that if I were Ezekiel, and God asked me that question about the bones... I would have probably answered... "No, they're bones... how can bones live?" But the reality is that I hear God asking me that same question every single day.. maybe not in the literal sense, but... I don't know... kind of like he is constantly asking me "Mariana, do you think I can do this? Do you trust me? Do you trust my heart? My intentions? My power?"

    

 I definitely hear him asking me this question when I think of the baby that is growing inside of me. Every single day I am filled with questions & fears over something I cannot control... I can only eat and rest (and pray). That is about all of the control I have over this pregnancy. I also hear him asking me these questions when I think about going back to work, working with the teen ministry, my marriage, my friendships, my family, and my plans for the future. And what I am trying to get my hear to answer is that Ezekiel responded... "Sovereign LORD, you alone know." Not with the heart of "Well... who knows... maybe you can or maybe you can't." but with a heart full of faith and trust that everything is in HIS HANDS, HIS DOMINION, HIS CONTROL... I want to rest in peace knowing that HE knows what he is doing... his character is trustworthy and perfect in love. When I focus on that, everything seems bearable, doable, a joyful pleasure. 

2.God's Message to His People 

After bringing the bones back to life and giving them breath... I love God's way of relating it back to his people. The Israelis were in a tough situation here. Their state of mind (heart and spirit) is described in verse 11. 

‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 

God was definitely disciplining them... and they had hit rock bottom. Tired, hopeless, cut off... done! But God offers them sooo much hope in verses 12-14. He offers his people a new perspective. He will refresh them, restore them, bring them back. This passage has helped me to see the power that God has... and how he wants to use that power to redeem us. But not only that, but everything he does is for us to SEE HIM.
          Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.

     He wants us to TRULY see him. To see who he really is, what he really can do for us. He doesn't want everything to be *perfect* (as we often want), but he wants to SHOW us WHO HE IS. He wants to be known by us and be with us. So, I'm thinking that all that happens, good & bad... he allows hoping that through it all we can see him, know him, and want him. 

Go and read Ezekiel 37... its AH-MAZING!

XOXO,

Mariana