By Jordy van Gaalen & Payton DeVencenty

Dry Bones to Life

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this Soundcloud link.

Welcome to today’s devotion, a collaboration between Jordy van Gaalen and Payton DeVencenty. We are excited to have you join us as we dive into the questions we might be afraid to ask and the grace Jesus has to offer.

Jesus… I feel so drained inside. I have lost the drive to soak in Your Word, to pray, to fully worship in church with all my heart and mind and soul. It’s as if I’ve spent all the emotions I had and have nothing left to give. I feel zapped of energy and passion and love. Where do I go from here? How do I gain back what has been lost?

You have reached an important milestone in your desire to be genuine in your heart and in your actions. That milestone is, of course, honesty. So often you and your brothers and sisters in my Church have believed that unless you are at 100% I will not bless you or be with you. Listen to Me: Nothing could be further from the truth. Being honest with Me is the first step towards healing…because I did not come to save those who think they are healthy, but rather to those who know they are sick.

When I have these emotions, it’s as if I’m going through the motions, which I know is not what you wish for me. How do I still worship you through this sluggish time? How do I praise you when I don’t have the words and the voice to sing? How do I read and soak it all in when I don’t have the ears to listen?

It is so easy to drift into the mindset of work – trying to prove yourself to me. All those things you just asked me have to do with your performance. The belief that you have to do something to earn my presence is rotting your heart. Long before you can actually open up to my presence you must first trust that I am, indeed, standing at the door of your heart knocking. 

But for now, as you step through the minefields of apathy, know and trust Me. Know and trust me when I tell you that the power given to you is the exact same as when I was raised from the dead. That the power which conquered death is now alive and active in you, and through My promise you will feel life once again enter into those dry bones of yours (Ephesians 1:20).

Thank you, Lord, for healing my sick heart. Thank you for your free gift of salvation, in that I do not need to earn your love or grace. Thank you for your power to continue on this path toward you, especially when the steps feel laborious. I pray that you would continue to resurrect these dry bones, each and every day. Amen.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran, Colorado Springs