"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones. He led me all around among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, and indeed, they were very dry. Then He asked me, 'Son of man, can these bones come to life?' 'O Lord GOD,' I replied, 'only You know.'"
~ Eekiel 37:1-3
I feel compelled to begin by saying, God bless the people pictured in this image, and their families ever after.
A photograph like this is very visceral for me. It's a little hard to be with, for the same reason I can't do scary movies, the people are... people. It almost feels like a personal connection, even though I know that's silly.
At any rate, God bless them every one.
It is autumn. Yesterday was Halloween, today is the beginning of DÃa de los Muertos. So, it seemed an appropriate time to talk about one of my very favorite stories in the Bible.
I'm sure you know the one! :)
Ezekiel has just shared with us God's promise to take from us our hearts of stone, give us hearts of flesh, and place within us His Spirit.
Thank You, God!
And we come to the Valley of Dry Bones.
The power of this story overwhelms me and touches my heart every single time I encounter it.
For those with seeming "dry bones" in any area of life, this story holds such hope.
God tells Ezekiel to tell the bones to hear the word of the LORD.
It is abundantly clear that Ezekiel is simply a conduit for the power of God. The Father directs Him in each moment, and together they behold extraordinary wonders and miracles.
Ezekiel does as God instructs and the valley begins to rattle. The bones come together. Sinew and flesh find their place, skin covers them. But still there is no life. Until God says, prophesy breath, that they may live.
Isn't that so often the way? We labor alongside God, but even the works of our hands at His direction do not have life until He breathes into them. I find this such comfort. Miracles and wonders abound, and yet another miracle is needed... Spirit. Breath. Life.
We serve a God of miracles.
We serve the initiator and sustainer of LIFE. From the inanimate to the animate.
We partner with Him.
We are His conduit in the world.
We follow His lead.
And, miracles and wonders arise.
We must simply persist in walking it out, miracle after miracle.
Standing by the side of God? What a miracle!
But there's more...
Speaking with Him and being given instruction? What a miracle!
There's more to be done yet...
Step it out. Do what He instructs.
Bones rise. Sinew attaches. Flesh Wraps. Skin covers. Miracle. Miracle. Miracle. Miracle.
But wait... Prophesy breath, prophesy spirit, that they may live.
And they do. An exceedingly great army stood on their feet and lived.
Miracle.
Epic miracle.
Amen.
Jehovah Nissi,
May we join You in the valley you have assigned for us, whatever that may be.
May each of Your children stand with You as Ezekiel did and do precisely what You would have us do.
May we then, as did Ezekiel, bear witness to great miracles and transformation.
May we see dry bones come to life.
Lord, make each one of us an instrument of thy Peace, and an instrument of the work You are doing in the world.
We love You. We choose You. We need You. We choose the path you have set for us, the work You created in advance for us to do.
Thank You for guiding, guarding, and protecting us.
... And thank You for helping us remember that, "Only You know."
These things we pray in the name of Your Son,
Amen.
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances. Then you will live in the land that I gave your forefathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God." ~ Ezekiel 36:26-28
"So I prophesied as I had been commanded. And as I prophesied, there was suddenly a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone." ~ Ezekiel 37:7
"I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD." ~ Ezekiel 37:14
May the Good Lord bless you and keep you, friends... always, in all ways. Amen.
Bonus song of praise... ♥
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