Wednesday’s Thought – Ezekiel.

There is this scene in the book of Ezekiel where God sets Ezekiel down in the middle of a valley of dry bones and God tells him to prophesy over those bones that they would live. Ezekiel does just that, he does exactly as God says to do and those bones rise up into new life. God made them live again. (Ezekiel Ch. 37).

In all honesty, it is one of those passages that has felt strange to me for a long time. It is a weird and frightening scene the way I picture it in my head. I have always had a basic understanding of the significance of the analogy here, that Christ calls us out of death and into life. That it is not something that we can do on our own but something that God must do through and for us. But that all changed when I heard this song for the first time. You can listen to it here. These lyrics helped me to see the immense beauty in this passage.

Saturday was silent
Surely it was through
But since when has impossible
Ever stopped You
Friday’s disappointment
Is Sunday’s empty tomb
Since when has impossible
Ever stopped You

This is the sound of dry bones rattling
This is the praise make a dead man walk again
Open the grave, I’m coming out
I’m gonna live, gonna live again
This is the sound of dry bones rattling

God has called me out of the grave and I am alive again. The freedom that comes from knowing him and walking with him is something that cannot be duplicated. It is a freedom and joy that only he can give. What could be more difficult than bringing dry bones back to life? Is there anything that my God cannot do?

As I was praying for two little Ezekiels last night on my run, these words from the same song washed over me and brought tears to my eyes:

My God is able to save and deliver and heal
And restore anything that He wants to
Just ask the man who was thrown
On the bones of Elisha
If there’s anything that He can’t do
Just ask the stone that was rolled
At the tomb in the garden
What happens when God says to move

He is able to save. There is nothing that my God cannot do. He rolled away the stone over the tomb. He delivered his people from slavery by parting a sea and raining food from heaven. He brought Lazarus back to life and he healed the sick. He changed my heart and breathed new life into my dry bones. There is nothing that is too difficult for my God. Lord, heal these two Ezekiels. We know that you can deliver and heal and restore anything that you want. Thank you for being the God of the valley, that breathes new life into dry bones.