Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:5-6 (The Message)

God, the Master, told the dry bones, "Watch this: I'm bringing the breath of life to you and you'll come to life. I'll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You'll come alive and you'll realize that I am God!"

Have you ever felt as if your body was falling apart? Whether in sickness or weariness? Well, I have sleep problems. Not just problems, Chronic Insomnia. It is something I have to see a sleep specialist about and take sleeping pills for. Let me just say that it is not fair that I have a 6 month old baby that sleeps 8-12 hours and I still can’t get more than 4 hours of good sleep. After a rough night my body is shaky, my head is pounding, and just walking feels like a workout! It has been particularly bad lately and I finally poured out my concern about my body to a dear friend of mine. She reminded me of the story in which the Lord told Ezekiel to prophecy over a field of dry bones. The field represented a decaying Israel who felt as if they had no hope. But even in their death, the Lord showed His power! Ezekiel prophesied and watched as flesh formed over those dry bones and the bodies were filled with breath! God said, “Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live (verse 13).”

Oh, I have read this verse a dozen times over the last few days! Whether you are sick in mind, soul, or body, the Lord sees your dry bones and will breathe life into you!

Apparently, there is also a children’s song about this. I searched for songs about Dry Bones and stumbled upon the familiar tune (“The foot bone is connected to the leg bone, the leg bone is connected to knee bone, Oh hear the Word of the Lord!”) I honestly had no memory of this song being Christian. I only remembered pointing to various body parts thinking the actions were fun while singing. This is a good reminder that you have an opportunity to teach your kids important Bible stories through song and other activities. But, don’t get so lost in the fun that they miss the point of the story! Be honest with them, they just might think that God bringing bones to life is awesome and want to hear more.

And now Lord, I ask you to help these dry bones of mine to sleep! Amen.

Moms, do not forget to be a wife too!

Proverbs 12:4

“A hearty wife invigorates her husband, but a frigid woman is cancer in the bones.”

The Message

My heart is hurting this week from all the stories I have heard about struggling marriages. Now, I am no expert, I have only been married 2 years. Which makes it that much worse when I can recall 4 close friends of mine under the age of 24 that have already gotten a divorce. Two of those couples had children. Marriage is hard, but when I became a mom I realized just how hard it is to keep my marriage nourished. Children have immediate needs that have to be met. A baby cannot take care of herself! My first thought when I wake up is my daughter. Why? Because she is my alarm clock. Her voice is the first thing I hear! It’s so easy to forget my husband’s needs. I’m not talking about having dinner ready as soon as he gets home or doing his laundry (in fact, my husband does most of the cooking in my house). I’m talking about putting energy into being a wife above being a mom. Most of us wouldn’t even be moms without first being wives, so why do we let our marriage sit on the backburner many days?

A few days ago I asked Nate, my husband, what things do I do to meet his needs. He told me that I always listen fully when he talks. He said that when he’s really upset, he calls me because he knows that I can calm him down. He said that I make him laugh. Small things, but they mean a lot to him. Sometimes it is hard. Last week, Nate locked himself out of the house when I was out of town. So what did he do? He kicked down our door. When he first called to tell me, I was so mad since that is an expense we do not need. But I could tell that he was a lot more mad at himself than anything. So I bit my tongue and said that it could be worse than a broken door…he could have a broken head from a car accident and I would much rather replace the door. That made him laugh and he calmed down. I had to decide that this small battle was not worth arguing about.

I believe that strong marriages mean strong parents. We cannot always control what our husbands do to strengthen our marriage, but we can do our best to be the wife in Proverbs 12 that “invigorates her husband”. One of the most loving acts is praying for him. In the book, “The Power of a Praying Wife” by Stormie Omartian, there are 30 different areas of prayer that she leads women through. I will often ask Nate to look over the areas of prayer and ask him to pick 2 that he really wants me to pray through that week.

So, moms, I encourage you to be hearty in your marriage. Read Song of Solomon and remind yourself of the romance that was divinely inspired to be a part of Scripture! Give your husbands big greetings when they get home. When you are working with your kids on a fun, creative project, ask yourself what is a fun, creative thing you can do with your husband. This marriage is practice for when we are the bride of Christ! Let’s give it our very best.

The Power of a Praying Wife By Stormie Omartian / Harvest House Publishers Bestselling author Stormie Omartian inspires women to develop a deeper relationship with their husbands by praying for them. The Power of a Praying Wife---now with a fresh new cover design--- is packed with practical advice on praying for specific areas of a husband's life including his decision-making, fears, spiritual strength, role as father and leader, and his faith and future. Every woman who desires a closer relationship with her husband will appreciate the life illustrations, select Scripture verses, and the assurances of God's promises and power for their marriage.

He Has Heard Me! by Sharise

“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:6 

I must admit that I spend a lot of time during my prayers asking something of God. After all, He calls us to do that! He lets us know that He is our Father and we can come to Him with any request, big or small. So I do! I pour out my heart to Him sometimes BEGGING Him to answer. Other times, it is a simple request so small I might forget it within the hour. However, the Lord hears, and He answers. 

It is easy for me to see the answered prayer without acknowledging it. You know, you say a little prayer like, “Oh God, please help me find my car keys, I’m going to be late!” and then there they are! So you happily rush off on your way. Wait a second….where is the prayer of thanks? Where is the acknowledgement that God the Father, Maker of Heaven and Earth stooped down from His throne to answer something so simple as finding car keys? 

This week I noticed this happening. My 5-month-old daughter, Eve, has had a hard time bonding with my husband. She will fuss if he just LOOKS at her. Needless to say that has been hard on him and on me (since I never get a break!). We both prayed really hard about it. Over the next few days, Eve seemed to be happier with her dad. They would play and laugh. It was so gradual, that I almost forgot we prayed that this very thing would happen. Of course, right then and there I stopped and thanked God that He had heard our prayer and answered faithfully!!! 

All God asks us to do is acknowledge Him in return. That’s it! In all our ways give Him the glory and He will make our paths straight. I now keep note of all my requests to God whether on paper or in my head and am sure to look for that answered prayer! I pray that I will be able to teach my daughter to acknowledge the Lord just as King David taught his son when he said, “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever (1 Chronicles 28:9).” 

Today, be sure to give God the glory when He answers your prayers. Also, when you pray with your children at night, listen to their requests and follow up with them (“So has God answered your prayer about friends at school?”) This will teach them to recognize that their prayers will not come back fruitless.

My Peace I Give - by Sharise

John 14:27

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Today was filled with a lot of crying. It started with a lot of crying from my baby, and followed with a little crying from myself as well. No matter what I did, my daughter was inconsolable. And by the end of the day, my nerves were shredded. I thought of Those With Young, and remembered our talks about rest. So I pulled out my copy of Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman. It is the devotional I always pull out during strenuous periods of my life. And it is well used! The curled edges of the pages and tattered cover remind me of a past in which I cried out to God.

There is a quote that I found again tonight and it filled me with hope. It says, “Rest is not some holy feeling that comes upon us in church. It is a state of calm rising from a heart deeply and firmly established in God.” I may not always have a restful feeling, but I can have a heart firmly established in God! So whether you are meeting with God in a coffee shop on a warm, spring day, or you are struggling to find words through your tears in your bed on a dark night, rest is available to us through Him! We must only give Him our heart.

The devotional tonight ended with this poem:

My peace I give in times of deepest grief

Imparting calm and trust and My relief.

My peace I give when prayer seem lost, unheard;

Know that My promises are ever in My Word.

My peace I give when you are left alone-

The nightingale at night has sweetest tone.

My peace I give in times of utter loss,

The way of glory leads right to the cross.

My peace I give when enemies will blame,

Your fellowship is sweet through cruel shame.

My peace I give in agony and sweat,

For My own brow with bloody drops was wet.

My peace I give when nearest friend betrays-

Peace that is merged in love, and for them prays.

My peace I give when there’s but death for thee-

The gateway is the cross to get to Me.

Wake Up - by Sharise Piquard

Isaiah 60:1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

This week I read Isaiah 60 and haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. “Arise, shine…” I don’t know about you, but when I get up in the morning, I have a hard time arising, much less SHINING! I wish I were one of those moms who just popped out of bed with a smile on my face, ready to conquer the world! But most mornings I find myself fantasizing of being back in my warm, soft sheets. I am so grateful that the Bible has much encouragement when it comes to this. The Lord longs for us to live our days to the glory of Him! Not only physically, but He also wants us to be spiritually awake and alive. In the Message version of the Bible, Romans 13 says, “But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!”

Wow, that verse is like coffee from God, a wake up call for my life!

However, this is not just for us moms. It is for our children too! We can help our kids start their days off by telling of His glory from the minute they wake up! Does anyone remember the song, “Rise and Shine (Arky, Arky)” from Sunday school? Some mornings I still sing it to myself and my daughter and remember Noah who obeyed God. Here is a clip of some children singing this song. I can’t help but smile when I see that child-like faith and hear them shout, “Give God the glory glory, children of the Lord!”

Welcome, Sharise Piquard!

God has been so good to bless us with yet another Advisory Panel member and writer for Those With Young!!

Welcome, Sharise Piquard!

Sharise and I met at a potluck, just about four short months ago. Bill and I host a middle school small group in our homes on Monday evenings. Nate and Sharise were interested in doing the same. They had just moved to our area, were expecting their first baby, and had no family in the area.

I immediately knew God wanted us to be friends. As I listened to her story, I felt like I was going back in time. In one short month, Sharise had quickly gone from a working woman, to a stay at home mom in a new place....and was still waiting on the baby she was staying home for. Oh, I remember those days!

Sharise and I went out to coffee five weeks before she was due to deliver little Eve. We had a great time. I knew our hearts were connected. I loved hearing her heart for the Lord and how he had worked on her heart to move her out of in career in cinematography to start a family. I learned how her dad is a pastor, and she has moved around some in her life. She and her sweet husband, Nate, met in college - John Brown University to be exact.:)

We left our sweet little coffee date, Sharise pulled up to the light, and her water broke. Little Eve made her entrance into this world five weeks early at just over four pounds.

I'm excited to have Sharise here at Those With Young for so many reasons. She's not an experienced mom. She's a brand new mom who is experienced at loving Jesus! We want Those With Young to be continually relevant to those who are brand new to motherhood, so Sharise's input is priceless. I know you will love her as much as I do!

Treasures

I am a new, first-time mom. I’m sure you can all remember those crazy months when the nurses send you home, the visitors disperse, and you are left wondering, “so, what do I do now?” I always knew I wanted to be a mom. Not just ANY mom, but a mom who taught her child to love the Lord! However, I have had a hard time figuring out how to do that with a newborn. All they do is eat, sleep, poop, and cry! Sure, she might smile and coo at me while I talk to her for a few seconds, but in an instant she is wriggling and fussing to do something more entertaining. So I quietly pray for her during my evening devotions and sometimes sing hymns while I rock her to sleep. And most of the time, that is all I do. However, one evening I was reading A Mom After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George and she encouraged moms to speak the Word of God over their children from “cradle to grave”. She wrote about the power of scripture and the importance of speaking truth over our children’s lives as soon as they enter this world. It was as if a light bulb went on. Of course! Why haven’t I been speaking the Word over my daughter from day one? What better way is there to help my daughter grow in the Lord? Even if I feel silly sometimes, I still try to read out of the Bible to my child every day. I get excited trying to think of new things I can do to surround her with the Word of God as she grows. We ordered a toy box the other day that came with free engraving. My husband and I couldn’t think of what to say. If we wrote her name, her future siblings would feel left out. If we wrote “toy box”, we could never use it for other things. So we decided to engrave, “Matthew 6:20-21” which says, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Now she may not understand what that means for many years. But I am hoping that one day she might just realize that her toys are not the treasures, but her relationship with God IS! I feel so blessed that the Lord chose me to help with the important task of introducing her to His Word! So, moms, what have you done to help your children see the “treasures” from scripture?

Sharise's book recommendation:

A Mom After God's Own Heart: 10 Ways to Love Your Children By Elizabeth George / Harvest House Publishers A Mom After God's Own Heart offers 10 principles to help moms make God an everyday part of their children's lives. Moms will explore how to: teach their children God's Word train them in God's ways talk to children about Jesus pray with and for them Elizabeth George, who has two grown children and six grandchildren, gives practical advice and real-life suggestions for helping children---no matter what their ages---incorporate God into daily life. Her husband, Jim, also provides biblical advice from a dad's perspective.