Dry Bones
In May I had a little bit of a breakdown because I was facing another birthday and I was NOT looking forward to it at all. To be completely honest with you I was angry with God because the year before was one of the hardest years I have had to walk through and I told Him, “I can’t have another year like the past year God. I just can’t. I’m not strong enough so I’m gonna need You to show up and fix it!” I prayed for Him to give me a scripture to stand on because this year needed a straight up miracle. I was afraid of my birthday and I usually LOVE birthdays. I heard Him say, Ezekiel 37:3. I know that chapter…that’s the one about the valley of dry bones so I was actually really hesitant to open my Bible and read the verse. I imagined God giving me a verse that said, “sorry bout your life…this year isn’t going to be any better sooooo I’ll touch base with you in 2017.” I hesitantly opened my Bible and read:
Ezekiel 37:3 says, “He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘Sovereign Lord, you alone know.’”
Seriously?! What in the world does that even mean? I remember writing it down in my journal and I walked away because quite frankly that wasn’t what I wanted to hear. Then 6 days later, God brought me back to Ezekiel 37 and He told me to read the whole chapter, not just verse 3. As I read through this chapter God began to speak to me, He highlighted the verses and had me write down what He had to say about them. It was a challenging conversation I had with God because I had to own what I had to done that brought me the place I was in AND He comforted me with hope and showed me how I could get back on track.
In this conversation (which I have written in red the words God spoke to my heart and I wanted you to see verbatim what this conversation looked like), God brought me to this valley where I had to take an inventory of life that’s been lost. Dead relationships, trust, hope, joy, peace, security, gifts, opportunities and it was discouraging, sad and a reminder of what once was. My natural eyes were fixated on the death, no signs of life anywhere and it was a depressing sight to behold. I felt like God asked me, “can these bones live?” By the looks of things my mind screams “NO! because they have been here so long laying lifeless. NO, they CAN’T live!” But my spirit, knowing God can do the impossible, responded, “Sovereign God, You alone know.”
You alone know if my dreams can live again. You alone know if the broken relationships can be pieced back together again. You alone know if peace and hope can return. You alone know if my purpose is still valid. You alone know if the tears I shed in secret will blossom into joy. You alone know if clarity can replace confusion. You alone know because right now…I don’t. Then God took me to verse 4:
“Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!”
I stopped and thought, I don’t have the power to bring any of it back. But He reminded me, “No, but I do. My Words bring life. So speak MY WORDS to MY BONES and bring them back to life.” For too long I had been striving to make it all happen on my own, selfishly striving for greatness minus HIS power behind it.
I feel like I had to look around at the things I once had and now didn't as a reminder that without Him, none of it matters. That we can get only so far in our own strength but it doesn't last long. And God encouraged me that He will, "connect the right dreams to the right talents. And the right talents with the right platforms. The right relationships with the right seasons. The right influence with the right people. They will no longer be misaligned, which brough chaos and confusion. All of it will match, then you will KNOW that I am the Lord.”
I had been so prideful, so arrogant, so entitled that I stopped calling on God to work in and through me. I had achieved a TINY amount of "success" (which looking back is a really ridiculous thought) and I stopped needing God. Until I did.
“What good are the right talents with the right dreams, the right talents with the right platforms. The right relationships with the right season. The right influence with the right people without the Holy Spirit? The very power of God being the driving force? Invite the Holy Spirit into every area, opportunity, conversation, thought, job, task, dream. Everything you thought was dead and command it to live!”
After this conversation happened, He had me write a list of every dead thing around me. I was vulnerable and completely honest and I wrote it all down then I began to pray and call those things back to life. It has been 6 months now and about 75% of all of the things on that list have come back to life. I actually add things to it as they are brought to my attention. I will no longer accept defeat or death in any area when God says otherwise.
I share this entry with you because this may be what you needed to hear. Maybe you have been in this same place, crying out to God for resurrection and you don’t know what to do. May I suggest you take and inventory and write down every “dead and lifeless” thing, ask God His will for it, then if He says to call it to life, do it and trust He is faithful to move in mighty ways we can’t even comprehend. Going into a new year can be intimidating but I believe God is reminding us about the power and authority we have with out words! Don't allow things to remain dead, prophesy and call them back to life!
