This one's been stirring in me for a while. I've spent weeks trying to untangle the thoughts and make sense of it. But I don't want to dilute the honesty of it, and actually, I don't think I'm supposed to be able to fully wrap my mind around this one.
In Ezekiel 37, a remarkable story is told. One that, if it happened today, would be bombarded with skeptics and doubt, criticism and hatred. Because it's a scary story- scary in the very best way. It's powerful and, by the world's standards, impossible. But in verses 1-10, we're reminded that the world's standards are garbage, completely worthless.
The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out.
Then He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones become living people again?" "O Sovereign Lord," I replied, "You alone know the answer to that."
Then He said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, 'Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'"
So I spoke this message, just as He told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
Then He said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.'"
So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet- a great army.
I think there's a reason this story is filled with so many visual details. God gives us the words so that we can mentally picture this dim and dusty valley, with pieces of bone scattered as far as we can see.
One summer, my mom and I bought this ridiculous 1500 piece jigsaw puzzle, and we literally spent weeks on it. Once it was finally finished, we left it on the dining room table for day. We were so proud of the work we put into it and how great the finished product looked. I imagine this is a little bit like God's work here. He took all those shards of bone, placed them perfectly together, then wove muscles and tendons and vessels throughout. When He was done with that, He covered each body with a beautiful skin, then probably added hair and eye color and all that just for fun.
But those were just physical bodies. If we're not careful, we can be just a physical body too. Because that's how we started out on this earth. But then, the second we ask for it, God's holy and perfect life-giving breath enters us, and we become so much more than just a body. God breathed into each of these bodies in the valley, and they became an army.
Can we just stop for a second and try to imagine God's power? Imagine watching this formation of bodies take place. That would have to be the coolest, scariest thing. Because God is more powerful than we can comprehend, when He uses just a fraction of that power, it sometimes freaks us out. Sometimes, though, we are awestruck by it. Since you were a tiny child, you were taught that the sky is blue. But what you weren't taught then is that every so often, for a fleeting moment, after a day that was maybe difficult or heartbreaking or wonderful for you, our sky turns orange, or pink, or purple, or red. Why didn't they explain sunsets to us when we learned that the sky is blue? Why didn't they tell us about this unbelievable phenomenon? Because at that age, like so many other things, we couldn't comprehend it. Just because you can't understand it, though, doesn't mean God doesn't show it to us. He shows us those pink skies day after day, just like He showed Ezekiel how He could give life to dry bones.
So often, life doesn't make sense. We can't understand the whys or hows. But the great thing is, with faith in Jesus, we don't have to understand. He doesn't want us to always understand. We can step back, acknowledge our littleness, and be thankful. How great it is that we have a God who takes care of us all, protects and restores each of us over and over, yet still has the time to breath life into dry bones and turn the sky incredible colors?
Thanks, God. Even if we don't say it enough, we love You. We really do.
In Ezekiel 37, a remarkable story is told. One that, if it happened today, would be bombarded with skeptics and doubt, criticism and hatred. Because it's a scary story- scary in the very best way. It's powerful and, by the world's standards, impossible. But in verses 1-10, we're reminded that the world's standards are garbage, completely worthless.
The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out.
Then He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones become living people again?" "O Sovereign Lord," I replied, "You alone know the answer to that."
Then He said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, 'Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'"
So I spoke this message, just as He told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
Then He said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.'"
So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet- a great army.
I think there's a reason this story is filled with so many visual details. God gives us the words so that we can mentally picture this dim and dusty valley, with pieces of bone scattered as far as we can see.
One summer, my mom and I bought this ridiculous 1500 piece jigsaw puzzle, and we literally spent weeks on it. Once it was finally finished, we left it on the dining room table for day. We were so proud of the work we put into it and how great the finished product looked. I imagine this is a little bit like God's work here. He took all those shards of bone, placed them perfectly together, then wove muscles and tendons and vessels throughout. When He was done with that, He covered each body with a beautiful skin, then probably added hair and eye color and all that just for fun.
But those were just physical bodies. If we're not careful, we can be just a physical body too. Because that's how we started out on this earth. But then, the second we ask for it, God's holy and perfect life-giving breath enters us, and we become so much more than just a body. God breathed into each of these bodies in the valley, and they became an army.
Can we just stop for a second and try to imagine God's power? Imagine watching this formation of bodies take place. That would have to be the coolest, scariest thing. Because God is more powerful than we can comprehend, when He uses just a fraction of that power, it sometimes freaks us out. Sometimes, though, we are awestruck by it. Since you were a tiny child, you were taught that the sky is blue. But what you weren't taught then is that every so often, for a fleeting moment, after a day that was maybe difficult or heartbreaking or wonderful for you, our sky turns orange, or pink, or purple, or red. Why didn't they explain sunsets to us when we learned that the sky is blue? Why didn't they tell us about this unbelievable phenomenon? Because at that age, like so many other things, we couldn't comprehend it. Just because you can't understand it, though, doesn't mean God doesn't show it to us. He shows us those pink skies day after day, just like He showed Ezekiel how He could give life to dry bones.
So often, life doesn't make sense. We can't understand the whys or hows. But the great thing is, with faith in Jesus, we don't have to understand. He doesn't want us to always understand. We can step back, acknowledge our littleness, and be thankful. How great it is that we have a God who takes care of us all, protects and restores each of us over and over, yet still has the time to breath life into dry bones and turn the sky incredible colors?
Thanks, God. Even if we don't say it enough, we love You. We really do.