"Dry Bones"
“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
around among the old, dry bones that covered the valley floor. They were
scattered everywhere across the ground.” – Ezekiel 37:1, 2 (NLT)
As Ezekiel looks out in the desert all he can see is dead dry bones.
These are bones that have been dead for a very long time because they
are already dried out. There has been a battle. Who knows, maybe an
ambush. They did whatever they could to stay alive but it was useless.
The last soldier came down. The last plea for life was made. Then there
was silence. Not too long after the vultures came in to finish the job.
Every piece of flesh that could be seen was picked away. When Ezekiel
sees the bones this is what he sees. There is no life. No hope. Just
death and hopelessness.
The people of God raise their voices asking and begging for help. Why
isn’t God answering our prayers? Is God not strong and powerful enough
to deliver from this evil? Isn’t He mightier than any army? God hears
their pleas. And He calls Ezekiel. He wants him to witness something
very powerful.
“The Lord tells him to say to the dry bones,
“Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign
Lord says: ‘Look! I am going to breathe 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.’” (Ezek 37:4, 5)
God spoke and life came back to the dead bones. Are you going through
a dry bone experience? Maybe your health is like dry bones. You have
pleaded with Him, just like the people of Israel, to bring your health
back. The days go by and nothing has changed. Is God not listening to
your prayers? It says that His word brings life but where is it? What if
God doesn’t breathe the spirit back into your physical health? He can
breathe life into your spirit. He can revive your soul. He can breathe
life through the word of a nurse. He can breathe life through the touch
of a physician. He can breathe life through the prayer of a pastor, a
priest or a chaplain. My prayer today is that your spirit be given life
to carry you through your dead bone experience whatever it may be.
