God is just really good
he is faithful beyond belief
his grace gives me hope
and joy that overflows into tears
he’s working in my heart and my life and opening my eyes to the ways in which he is present. there is a beautiful picture in ezekiel 37:1-14 about how he breathes life into things that have no life. he brings hope to those who feel dry. “breathe upon the slain, that they may live.” he is the giver of life. he sustains us. he revives us. he is working. he doesn’t give up hope on us even when we are not alive in him. rather, he breathes new life into us. 
and he uses other people to strengthen our hope in him. in class today, we reflected on Isaiah 50:4-10, which is full of encouragement. as we follow God and learn more about his character, we do it in the hopes that we “may know how to sustain the weary with a word”. “the Lord God helps me; therefore i have not been disgraced”. God helps us so that we may encourage others with our stories and through that offer hope and help to them. verse ten says: “who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant, who walks in darkness and has no light, yet trusts in the name of the Lord and relies upon his God?” even when we walk in darkness and don’t see the light, we are called to trust in God. faith in God and his purposes for us is not always easy. doubts are common. but in the midst of struggle and brokenness and questions and pain, we need to trust in the name of the Lord and rely completely on God. “he who vindicates me is near”.