The testimony in Ezekiel 37 of the dry bones coming to life is a familiar one for many of us. Recently, the Lord highlighted this text to me in a fresh way that I believe is a very timely encouragement.
When the Lord Initiates
In the first few verses of Ezekiel 37, it was the Holy Spirit who brought him to a valley of exposed bones. The foundation of this miracle was not the will or idea of Ezekiel but of the Lord.
There are times in our journey where the Lord brings us to a place for the purpose of His supernatural plans. Often, it's not initially our choice or our idea. It may be a washed-up or forgotten dream. It may be something we've never even come across before.
Where the Supernatural Begins
The stage for God's great plans often look like a wilderness at first. God didn't bring Ezekiel to a flourishing garden or an oasis. He brought him to a low and lifeless place, NOT for the purpose of wanting Ezekiel to experience hardship, but for the purpose of wanting the whole area—Ezekiel included—to witness the miraculous.
The NKJV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible footnote for Ezekiel 37:1 explains that for such a large amount of bones to be left exposed to the elements lends evidence to it being the "scene of a major catastrophe." Because none of the bones were given a proper burial, it was likely a battle scene. This had been the sight of a battle, most likely a defeat. To have one's bones left exposed to the elements was a curse one would wish on an enemy in that day and culture.
Back to Our Valleys of Dry Bones
The Lord is taking some of us back to a place where there was a defeat, maybe for us individually or maybe for others before us—a battleground that has been forgotten, even a "cursed" place that hasn't felt full of life in a long time. He's doing it to turn that place of defeat into a miraculous place of new life. (Photo via StockCake)
This process begins with a good look. The Lord had Ezekiel "pass by them all around" and "behold" (Ezekiel 37:2 NKJV) how many were there (how much was lost) and how dry they were (how hopeless it was from a human perspective).
In my own journey, the Lord has begun His most beautiful works by letting me get to the end of my solutions to see just how impossible it would all be by my power. This isn't to sow hopelessness or fear; neither of these are from the Lord. It's to prepare us for surrendering to Him in our answer to a question.
For Ezekiel, it was "can these bones live?" (Ezekiel 37:3). For us, the Lord may be asking a different, more specific question about the "dry" that we are facing. The Lord never asks, "Can YOU make this happen?" (though that is often where we insert ourselves when facing a similarly impossible situation). He asks, "Can this happen?" With hearts prepared for surrender to Him, we know the answer is yes but that it will have to be in a way that only the Lord knows (see verse 3).
Are You Living in an Almost-Victory?
Next in the passage came a word. It was a word first given by the Lord but then was meant to be acted upon and perpetuated by the hearer. What word has God given you over your "dry place"? What does it look like to speak or to act in accordance with that word?
What happened next is interesting. Movement happened for Ezekiel the second he partnered with the word. Creative miracles happened. Bones began rattling and coming together with flesh, sinews, and skin! The bodies, however, were still dead. The word Ezekiel had just been given was that they would LIVE, so it looked like an almost-victory. Things started looking better, but it didn't happen. The word didn't come to pass, at least not in its fullness. Maybe that's the place you're in, the almost-victory? If so, this Biblical testimony tells us we can't stop there.
Prophesy to the Breath
God then gave him a solution in the form of another word. The first time, He told Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones. This time, He told him to "Prophesy to the breath" (Ezekiel 37:9). God first had him speak to the bones, the natural physical thing—the dead thing, in this case. In our dry places, what does God want us to prophesy to the earthly or the "dead" thing we are facing? What does He speak over what we see? (Photo via Unsplash)
The second piece—the piece that causes the fullness of the word to be fulfilled—was when the Lord gave Ezekiel words to prophesy to the breath, otherwise translated as "spirit" (Ezekiel 37:9–10). This word for spirit is the same Hebrew word "ruach" (Strong's 7307) used for God's creative Spirit hovering over the waters in Genesis 1:2, or the Spirit of the Lord that was prophesied to rest on Jesus in Isaiah 11:2. He asked Ezekiel to speak to the spiritual, to speak to what he didn't yet see, to speak to what was alive and moving.
What does God want us to speak to the spiritual, unseen, life-giving things that His Spirit is doing behind the scenes? What can we say in agreement with His Spirit or breath?
The whole experience Ezekiel had is a picture of what the Lord wants to do for the greater group of Israel. The dry bones the Lord is reviving through your life are a picture and a testimony to the greater world around you about His heart and what He wants to do. Our prophetic words have much more power than just for us; they are life-giving to a community as we walk them out in obedience.
So, let the Lord take you to a dry place, to an old battleground. Then ask Him, "What do You speak to these 'dry bones'? And what do You declare to the Spirit?" Then watch what He will do.
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Sara Whitten
Arrows of Zion
Email:Â sara@arrowsofzion.com
Website:Â www.arrowsofzion.com
Sara Whitten is an author, speaker, and founder of Arrows of Zion Ministries which has been offering resources to equip to the body of believers since 2017. This ministry focuses on creating space to regularly encounter God's voice and live lives that are fertile soil for the kingdom of God. Her writings are featured in many publications, including the Elijah List and Charisma. She also hosts "Hear God Every Day," a podcast with tools to help amplify the voice of God amidst the noise of everyday life. She and her husband currently reside in Kerrville, Texas with their three children.
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