Today is June 12.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
  
Today’s reading is from Ezekiel 17.  


“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender spring from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. All the trees of the forest will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.  
“ ‘I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.’  


There is so much hope to be found in these words. Do you need a word of hope today as you come into prayer?   
  
I have seen a plant that looks 100% dead come back to life... first, a single brown stalk, totally dry... and then a bud, and again: a leaf! Listen to the scripture again, and think about the difference between something that is dead, and something that is simply dormant: that which is dormant holds deep within it both the power for and the presence of life.
  
This scripture reminds us that nothing is beyond hope. No season is too dry, no heart is too hard, no soil is too infertile for the Lord. It also reminds us that our hope comes from the Lord. Only he has the power to restore that which looks lost to hope. As we come to a close, pray for God’s hope to come alive in you. If there is a situation in your life that feels beyond hope, ask for God to give you the gift of intercession towards it.  
 
Music: You Speak - Vineyard Worship:(YouTube)