There is so much promise in knowing that God is not finished with us yet. In the darkest seasons of our life, we feel lost and broken. We try to seek him while tuning him out simultaneously. It's a confusing process but Philippians 1:6 reassures us of this: God does not start a work that he will not finish.

In my search to understand restoration, I came across a familiar passage, Ezekiel 37. The prophet Ezekiel had just finished prophesying of Israel's rebirth, which was an event that seemed unfathomable at the time. Having been exiled, Israel was a nation without land and a king -- they lived without hope of restoration, but God was not finished. He is not finished.

I am hardly a credible source to analyze scripture, so I encourage you to do it yourself. Open up the passage and read it for yourself. Be reminded of the work God did in Israel, the work he is still doing today, and just imagine the work he is doing in you.

Falling on my knees

My skin is scraped, torn,

Wounding me to bleed

On the foundation beneath me

My small hands feel the rigid,

Broken, solid bones covering

Miles and miles of this

Valley that could only be death

A scream escapes my lips

And I am unable to move.

No ground visible. There is

No life felt, not one bit.

I am here for years

Tuning out His instruction

Allowing each one of my fears

To station me here

My ears hear a whisper

Of grace command the death

To life for me to witness her

Restoration. And I am her.

I am the death called to life

And the decaying bones of the earth

Follow the commands of the Most High

King at the sound of His voice every time.

By His call, the bones rattle

Resisting their master by nature,

But His nature is used to battle

And He won’t relent until he has us all

He calls again, “Dry bones,”

And the rattling halts

A stillness present, like stones

Awaiting to cry out, atoned.

“Come alive,” He commands.

The shifting commences before me

Bone to bone, flesh to flesh

Skin is made by the work of His hands.

My God is building a body

From the scraps of death.

She is unrecognizable,

But she is not finished yet

I hope you can read this and understand that it's not perfect. I'm not a Biblical genius that understands the meaning of all scripture and the context of it all, and I never claimed to be -- but I am constantly learning and growing.

2018 is just around the corner. Whatever season you are in, good or bad, let it be a season of growth and restoration. You will not always understand what you're going through, but you can understand that God is doing a work in you that will carry on until Jesus returns again. Remember that restoration is not happening for us, but for his glory (Ezekiel 36:22).