When times seem hopeless

After reading the newspaper and listening to the news I am having a difficult time being optimistic. Have you faced a moment in life when everything seemed hopeless in advance? In other words have you ever found yourself in a hopeless situation with no hope in sight?
Jewish tradition has a famous story that only those over thirty may read. The Book of Ezekiel the prophet, who preached during the time Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BCE. Prior to the fall he preached judgement. Afterwards words of consolation and restoration. His most well-known is the vision of the dry bones showing the dead might live again.
The opening lines of that story are among the most important in the whole Bible. They witness a time when the power of God actually breaks into history and gives new direction to the people of God. In this famous story there is a message of hope for those who have lost all grounds for hope.
And the preacher must speak the words where it seems there is none to hear. It seems as if the message creates its own hearers. Even after a nation, a church, or a person seems to have died there is hope. There is with God the possibility of life from the dead. No situation is hopeless, no matter how dead a person feels.
Ezekiel also speaks of the Spirit. It lies beyond all that can be seen and measured. It is the breath of life. The Spirit stands for vitality. It caused John to quote Jesus saying, "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these ..."
The Spirit is in the people of God as the breath of life which comes from God. We are said to be "inspired" or "possessed" by the Spirit when we are lifted beyond are normal self and become for those moments the instrument of a power not our own. We are alive in a new way!
Until then we are to be like Ezekiel. We are to be faithful to our present tasks, even though there is little prospect of success. The world is bigger, richer, more wonderful than we imagine; therefore let us continue being faithful to our present tasks. There is no limit to what God may do; at any moment God may break into history and transform our present situation; therefore let us serve God according to our knowledge, leaving it to God whether or not to continue the discipline of our failure or transform our frustration and failure into God's marvelous success.
Today we all hoping God will break into history again and bring life to a hopeless situation. This time it must be for the whole world!