Dry Bones

It's funny the memories from childhood that seem to have seared themselves into my brain ... some happy, like the time my brother Jerry took me to the fair in his convertible with the top down; some are sad, like the day my little dog Frisky was hit by a car; and some are just plain weird, like getting locked in a cemetery with Dad, Mom and Granny while we were visiting Granddad's grave. I can still remember Granny insisting, "We've got plenty of time," when Daddy pointed out the sign at the entrance that indicated the gates would be chained and locked at sunset. Thinking back about that night, I can't help but wonder why in the world there would be a need to lock up a cemetery. The sun hadn't completely set as Daddy drove the car slowly toward the iron gates, but the light of day was certainly fading fast when we got to the entrance to find it securely chained and locked. I can't remember how he did it, but Daddy eventually managed to loosen the chain enough so that he was able to drive us out of the then very dark cemetery. What I do remember, however, is sitting in the back seat of the car awash in sheer terror that the skeletons in the caskets were going to rise up from the ground and drag me out of the car. Yeah, yeah, I know, my irrational thinking goes way, way back. And every single time I read the story in Ezekiel about the valley filled with dry bones, I think about that night ... I think about that night and my overwhelming fear of the skeleton bones in the cemetery.

Before I talk about old Ezekiel and his vision of the dry bones, I've got a confession to make ... I'd much rather spend my Bible study time in the New Testament than the Old, well, except for the book of Psalms ... I like the book of Psalms a lot. But God being God and knowing that He always has a reason when He directs me to certain passages in His Word, I've found myself sort of parked in the book of Ezekiel for the last week or so. And the more I've read from the book, the more I'm certain of two things ... 1) I've never really spent much time studying Ezekiel, and 2) God can use any and every word in the Bible to teach me the lesson He has for me. Here's the thing ... the book of Ezekiel is basically the recounting of a series of seven visions that Ezekiel had, and the description of those visions makes for quite interesting reading to say the least. But as I read through the book, I found myself completely mesmerized by the first 14 verses of chapter 37 ... the recounting of Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones. So captivating is the story to me right now that I've read it over and over again, and last night I even read it out loud to Julie and Ollie (those dogs of mine should be holy, by the way, as much as I read the Bible aloud to them). And each time I read about the valley of dry bones, the more I knew that God was asking me to search for the deeper truth ... that my reading of the dry bones story was to teach me about more than God's promise to restore and bless the nation of Israel. God planted me in the book of Ezekiel and caused me to linger in chapter 37 to speak to me about the dry bones within my own heart, about His Lordship and power to restore life to my spirit, about His desire to make me a walking, breathing, living warrior who proclaims glory and honor to Him.

"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, 'O Lord GOD, You know.' Again 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 that you may come to life. I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.' So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin 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 come to life.' So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then He said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.'" Ezekiel 37:1-14

Send the breath of Your Spirit, Father, into the valley ... bring life into my bones, and raise me up from the grave ... make me righteously effective ... a strong and faithful warrior for You.