“But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord;
in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.”
(Psalm 141:8 NIV)
To me, the story in Ezekiel 37 is one of the Bible’s most powerful images. In this vision, God takes Ezekiel to a valley filled with dried human bones, asks him questions about the bones, then commands him to bring them back to life. I reread this passage and was struck by the Sovereignty of God on display. It was God whose hand was upon Ezekiel, who by the Spirit of the Lord brought him to the valley, and then led him around in the valley. When God asked Ezekiel, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel knew that only the Sovereign Lord could answer. And when God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones so that they will live, he did it and saw the bones grow flesh and return to a full human body! God continued to tell Ezekiel to prophesy LIFE into the bodies – so much that the Spirit of Life was breathed into them and they became a full army!
There are many things I could talk about at this point, such as how these dry bones can be metaphors for the dry places in our life and how only the Lord can bring life into them. This is true. But I’ve been struck by the way Ezekiel knew of God’s sovereignty, could hear God’s voice, and immediately obeyed God. When you know the voice of the God of the Universe who is speaking directly to you, you act. God said to prophesy, Ezekiel prophesied. God said to speak, Ezekiel did.
Know God’s sovereignty over our lives and situations.
Listen to God’s voice.
Act, speak, do what God says to do.
See God’s power displayed in amazing ways.
Amen.
Sovereign Lord,
Thank you that you are all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present. Thank you that you know the end from the beginning, that your Word is always true, and your promises never fail, but are “yes” and “amen,” to your Glory. Thank you for the story of Ezekiel’s vision of the Valley of the Dry Bones and for the many things that it teaches us. Thank you for the reminder that you alone can bring ALL things back to life. Thank you that when we are listening for your Sovereign Voice, you speak to us and then command us to speak, act, and go. Give us ears to hear your Voice and courage to go where you call us to go, knowing that our Sovereign Lord is with us. Through the power of Holy Spirit and in the strong name of Christ we pray, Amen.
“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” (Isaiah 46:10 NIV)
“Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise…” (1 Kings 8:56 NIV)
“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV)
“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
“I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
“Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
“So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them 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 it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.” (Ezekiel 37:1-10 NIV)
(Originally published March 15, 2022.)