Having a gazillion kiddos like we do means so many things: we go through more groceries, there’s always someone who could use a shower, the laundry hamper is never empty, and we usually have something on the calendar to do. The majority of my kiddos have been participating in a year-round mixed martial arts class (MMA) that meets twice a week. No big deal. But now we’re throwing on the summer swim season that has two practices per day for four days straight. I’m thankful that the gas prices have gone down a bit.
In one day alone, I spent two hours driving. TWO HOURS! As a seasoned mom with loud kiddos, sometimes bickering about crossing the invisible line of personal seat space, I’ve learned to tune them out. And I’ve been having my thoughts mostly turned to Ezekiel 37 and how that passage applies to me.
Even if you’ve never read through that book of the Bible (or that chapter), if you’ve ever listened to a Christian radio station, you’ve probably heard Lauren Daigle sing Come Alive. It’s not a praise or worship song in my own opinion, but a church we recently visited had it as part of the worship set. And it got me thinking more on that passage and how it applies to us today.
I try not to be too critical of praise and worship song selections at different churches. Worship leaders have a high calling – and it’s not my calling. It’s also not praise and worship to me, but to God. I do catch myself cringing a bit when the song choices are all about me and what I do – or promise to do – for God. The whole reason Jesus had to come was because we were helpless without Him. We couldn’t do it, so why do we sing that we can? But I digress…
As I was thinking about the dry bones coming alive (something we can’t do on our own), I couldn’t help but imagine what that vision must have been like for the prophet, Ezekiel. To be walking through and around so many bones that were just lying there. And then to see them come together, the rattling sound probably a cacophony roaring through the valley. Skeletons now together, he then watches as tendons, ligaments, and muscles grow over the bones before skin covers them. Now they look like actual people. I wonder if he recognized anyone.
But they were all still lifeless.
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. Ezekiel 37:9-10 ESV
I used to get so very hung up on my value – and it’s still a stumbling stone (more like a boulder) at times. I don’t have a college education, so what right do I have to even think I have anything valuable to say? I made a lot of poor choices in my youth – how can I be of any use now – to anyone? I was a fall-down drunk for years – what kind of example was that?
But a valley of dry bones wasn’t the end of the story.
I read a couple things on social media that tied into my thoughts with the valley of dry bones. One of them pointed out that some of the worst people in the Bible made the most positive impact. All because their story didn’t end with their mistakes, but rather their comeback. Take Paul – he killed Christians! He gave the nod of approval for the death of the first Christian martyr, Stephen (Acts 7:51-60). Yet that wasn’t the end of his story. He went on to be radically transformed by God’s grace and became one of the most influential people in spreading the gospel of Jesus – and he wrote 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament!
Talk about dry bones coming to life!
The other thing I read was about our anointing, our calling, and our value (that stinking boulder of mine). The author of this post pointed out that our mistakes, flaws, and weaknesses do not remove our calling, our anointing, or our value. The enemy is the one who is always trying to turn our eyes to see the areas that are considered less-than. He wants us to see a valley of dry bones. He wants us to be stuck lying on the ground, no muscles or skin – not even a whole skeleton. And he wants us to stay that way.
The enemy doesn’t want us to see that when we simply receive that breath of life, we’ll see an exceedingly great army rise up.
I don’t know who out there needs to hear this (probably just me), but you may have made some poor choices in your past, you may not feel as though you have the right educational degree, or you might simply have come to have a relationship with God later in life and feel like you have nothing to offer – none of those things matter. It doesn’t matter how you became a scattered set of dry bones. What matters is that God has brought you back to life.
Yes, I was a drunk, I didn’t go to college, and I made a lot of poor choices (still do!) – for a period in my life, I was nothing but dry bones. But God breathed on me and brought me back to life. And what He does for one former set of dry bones, He’ll do for another.
God went on to explain out the valley of dry bones. He explained to Ezekiel that they represented the whole (not a single one omitted) house of Israel. While I am not physically of that lineage, any and all Christians have been grafted in by the blood of Jesus Christ. Ezekiel 37:11 describes it as …Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off…
But God didn’t leave them there. Their comeback was coming with Jesus’ death on the cross.
Ezekiel 37:12+14 tells us God’s response to His people, the valley of dry bones …I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people… and I will put my Spirit within you, and you will come to life…
Dry bones, come alive. It’s time. No matter your past, God has a fresh breath to give life for your future. Don’t just see the army rise – be part of it.