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| Photo courtesy of djibnet.com |
I don't know about you, but there have been times in my life, and in the lives of my friends, when there seems to be little to no hope.
A relationship has stagnated...and things are awkward, misunderstood, and lay lifeless.
A dream is shattered...as contracts fall through, avenues of revenue dry up, and goals are left unmet.
A medical diagnosis is delivered...and the prognosis seems grim in light of all the current statistics.
These are difficult times to see God's hand and His Spirit at work, even as a believer. Oftentimes, prayers seem to go unanswered, as weeks turn to months, and perhaps even years, and things just do not seem to change for the better.
But embedded in the pages of Scripture are some amazing truths. Truths that speak to the glory of resurrection. Truths that speak to hope in the midst of brokenness, when things just seem hopeless and lifeless and dead. These truths are not simple one-liners that make their way onto bumper stickers or Twitter! Sometimes you have to delve deep and read a bit. Here is such a truth, found within the pages of Ezekiel. It speaks to a vision that Ezekiel saw in the 37th chapter...
"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, 'O Lord God, you know.'”
I LOVE Ezekiel's answer to God's question, "Can these bones live?" Because truly, only God knows! I think Ezekiel's answer is one of faith and confident expectation. He knows to live by faith and not by sight or by past experiences!
So this vision continues...and gets stranger...picking back up in verse 4...
"Then he said to me, 'Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.' So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.' So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army."
And what do these dry, dead bones do? They come together, bone by bone, and become covered by flesh and skin. And then through Ezekiel's words, God causes His breath to enter into them, and they come to LIFE! Suddenly, they have transformed into an exceedingly great army!
You see, even in a seemingly dead and lifeless and hopeless situation, God can bring ANYTHING to life for His glory!
And if we were to continue to the end of this chapter in Ezekiel, we would see that this vision is really a promise to God's people, the house of Israel, who are dried up and whose hope is gone as they live in exile in Babylon, away from their desecrated homeland. But God promises resurrection and hope for them, and promises they will return to settle in their land. And for what purpose?
"Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord...Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord." (verse 13-14)
And as children of God, we too, can lay claim to this precious promise from the Lord! We, too, can experience the power of resurrection in our own hearts as we move from death to life unto salvation, and also in our lives, in our relationships, in our workplaces, in our dreams and hopes for the future. And we experience this, not to enjoy personal fulfillment and advancement, like some would like to purport. Instead, we experience it so we can bear witness to God's glory as we declare that it is HIS doing...not ours, and not a byproduct of convenient circumstances or happenstances...but is a miracle of God!
So today, dear friend, I'd like you to be sensitive to those "rattles" in your life. Perhaps the valley you are in is still dry and lifeless. But do you hear it?! Do you hear those bones starting to rattle just a bit? Maybe it is faint...but I pray you are sensitive to the Spirit and these rattles will grow louder as you continue to trust the Lord by faith...in HIS perfect timing. And I pray that you will behold that amazing and wondrous sight of those bones beginning to come together, and becoming covered by flesh, and standing up and that you would see God breathe life into that deadness in your soul and into your life, so it would stand like a mighty army...for HIS glory! I've seen it in my life--dead and lifeless situations and relationships coming alive again! It is a miraculous and inexplicable thing, but to God and God alone be the glory! And I continue to pray that these bones in my life will stand up into a vast army, and I pray that for you, too, dear friend!
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