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In Ezekiel 37:1 (NLT), the prophet tells us, “The LORD took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the LORD to a valley filled with bones.” Obviously, any time that we hear of bones without the covering of flesh and life, we can surmise that death has occurred. In this vision, God took Ezekiel to a valley that was full of bones, scattered about, as if there had been a great loss of life from a war. Those who died were not even buried, but their bodies were left on the ground. These were dry bones, without any moisture of marrow left in them, and no doubt the scattering left little or no hint of a skeleton intact. This congregation of the dead must have been a terrifying scene for the prophet, but it cannot be lost on us that this vision cemented a promise from our Heavenly Father, and it is speaking louder than ever to us today.
In the preceding chapter, Ezekiel 36, there is a promise from God to restore the Children of Israel. We understand that it is not because they did anything so great. They were as unruly and disobedient as we are today, but as He does time and time again, God’s heart is to demonstrate His unlimited mercy and grace.
God lays out all the wonderful things that He plans to do for the Children of Israel. In Ezekiel 36:28-29(NLT), He said, “28 And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will cleanse you of your filthy behavior. I will give you good crops of grain, and I will send no more famines on the land.” And so that they will not become arrogant, and think more of themselves than they ought, He said in verse 32, “But remember, says the Sovereign LORD, I am not doing this because you deserve it. O my people of Israel, you should be utterly ashamed of all you have done!” There was nothing so good about the people of that time that merited God’s favor. God put this plan in place for the Children of Israel to protect the Holiness of His name; to show how holy and powerful His name is.
Heavenly Father changes not. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is extraordinarily faithful to His promises and we can count on them with every degree of confidence. In God’s dealings with Israel, we have a pattern that we can rely on when it comes to His dealings with us, His spiritual sons and daughters living today.
One of the most remarkable patterns and pieces of revelation that we see in this record of truth in Ezekiel 36 is that God gave the Word first, and after the Word was given, a response from those to whom the Word was received is required. So often a person will receive a Word of Prophecy, and they will sit on it as if nothing more of them is required. This is not the pattern that our Heavenly Father has given. God said in Ezekiel 36:36-37(NLT), “Then the surrounding nations that survive will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruins and replanted the wasteland. For I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do what I say. 37 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am ready to hear Israel’s prayers and to increase their numbers like a flock.”
Heavenly Father declared, “I will do what I say.” Six Words that pack the greatest punch in all of eternity. Throughout the entire chapter of Ezekiel 36, God declares His purpose and agenda regarding the Children of Israel. He allows us this front row seat to His remarkable promise in order that we might know His Will and plan for us as well. This, sisters and brothers, is the foundation upon which we can build a masterful existence. Wherever the Will of God is known, there is not only the potential for glory in Christ, but a call to action as well.
God spelled out exactly what He was going to do. When you know the destiny that God has determined, your next step is to respond to it. We have free-will. God will not make us respond, we must do so of our own accord. Once we know the Will of God, Ezekiel 36:37 tells us that then we must begin to open our hearts to Heavenly Father in a major way. God said in this verse, “I am ready to hear Israel’s prayers.” This tells us the next step concretely. It is to pray and seek the face of God.
Do you see how preeminently systematic and organized Heavenly Father lays this out for us? But what we see so often is people completely stepping out of the harmony and order that He has set forth. For instance, when it comes to healing, you might hear someone say something like, “Well, I know the Lord will heal me when He sees fit…” In this statement, we see all of the action on God’s part, however nothing but dry bones on the part of the person that needs the healing. There’s no coming alive to the promises of God, no seeking Him with their whole hearts.
Proverbs 21:16 (KJV) tells us, “The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.” A person that is out of the way of understanding is a person that is spiritually malnourished. Their brains are not operating at the high frequency of the calling of Jesus Christ. They lack an understanding of the Will of God because they are not spending enough time in the Word of God.
John 6:63 tells us that it is the Spirit that quickens us. We’ve got a powerful advocate operating on the inside of us and he makes us alive. He quickens us through the Word of God, and he will help us to respond to the promises of God through worship, praise, and action if we will allow him to be at work.
We allow the Spirit to be at work within us by renewing our minds to God’s Word. When we drink in the Word, we have a way to match our minds to the mind of the Spirit; our hearts to the heart of the Spirit. Remember, your body is the Spirit’s house. Jesus Christ said in Mark 3:25 that “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” We know concretely that the Spirit’s thoughts and emotions are those of a Godly nature. They are good and pure. So, if YOUR thoughts, confessions, and feelings are going in the opposite direction of the Spirit’s thoughts and feelings, your house will not stand. It will fall apart. We see too much of this in the lives of believers today.
The end result of you matching your heart and mind with the indwelling Holy Spirit’s heart and mind is the operation of his miraculous power on your behalf. He is empowered to do the miraculous through our faith, but when we are operating at base level, with an unrenewed mind; walking around lifeless, not understanding God’s requirement of us, we will remain in the congregation of the dead. We’ll remain in that valley of dry bones.
In Joel 2:25(NLT), the LORD said, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you.” The disobedience of God’s people caused harsh consequences to come upon them, and even though they did nothing to deserve the mercy and grace of God, He provided it. He let them know that He is a God of restoration.
Jesus Christ tells us in John 7:38 (NIV), “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Our Lord and Savior is telling us how dry bones come alive—they come alive through the living waters of God’s Word. We can’t sit on our hands and think that God will treat us like spiritual infants when He’s given us everything we need to be spiritual giants. God tells us in Isaiah 55:1 (KJV), “every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters,” We can’t rest on our laurels. He said, “COME!” This denotes movement and articulation on our parts. We’ve got to snap out of deadness and come alive with eager hope and anticipation.
There are many in this earth that are walking around, dead in their minds and dead in their hearts. They know of the Word, but they aren’t feasting on it. They’re not excited about what God has done for them and in them through Jesus Christ. They are dry bones, but this is not our destiny. There are so very many gaps that need to be filled, and we are the ones to fill them. God wants to restore us. He also wants to restore others through us, as we commit ourselves to Jesus Christ to seek God with all that we are. We’ve got to wake-up! God has given us a prophecy of restoration and abundance, and it’s time for us to come alive and walk in it; if not for our sakes, then for the sake of all whose lives we will touch. ■
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Dry Bones Come Alive” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2017. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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