LJ Harry, adult editor for God’s Word for Life curriculum with Pentecostal Publishing House, writes about Ezekiel’s valley and the miracle of life.
The lovely Andrea and I took our girls to visit Gettysburg. The best way I can describe it is tangible sadness. It was sad that brothers fought with brothers and fathers shot at sons. By the end of that three-day battle in a Civil War, which was anything but civil, nearly fifty thousand Americans lay dead at Gettysburg.
Ezekiel’s Valley
Ezekiel’s valley probably felt a lot like Gettysburg. God brought Ezekiel to this valley through a vision. Even with his eyes closed, Ezekiel saw it all. He saw bones everywhere. Ezekiel was no doctor, but he knew these weren’t groundhog bones. These were human bones. These used to be people. He shuddered at the sight.
But hear the word from the Lord telling us to preach to the bones because the same miracle process that worked for Ezekiel works for us. Click To TweetGod spoke, “Ezekiel, I’ve got a question for you.” Ezekiel thought, I’ve got a couple for You, too. “Ezekiel, can these bones live?” The bones were dry, very dry. These bones had been bleached by the sun and picked by the birds. It would take a miracle for these bones to live. Thankfully, our God masters in miracles.
Ezekiel Obeyed God and Preached to the Bones
Zeke played it safe. “Lord, You know.” That’s always a good answer. God told him to preach to the bones. “Lord, it would appear the sun has bleached my hearing. I thought You told me to preach to very dry, very dead bones.” I see him timid at first, pacing back and forth, looking around to see if anyone’s watching.
“Hey, guys. Bones. Whoever you are. God asked me if you can live again, and I told Him I don’t know, but You do. And He told me to preach to you. So here we go. Bones, you’re going to live again.” Quick glance. Nobody’s watching.
“Dry bones, God’s about to put skin back on you, and you’re going to live again.”
“Dry bones, God’s about to put skin back on you, and you’re going to live again.”
A Miracle of Life
The Spirit of God moved on him. Ezekiel got excited. “Hey you, your leg bone’s no longer connected to your knee bone, but it will be. God’s going to bring you back together, and you’re going to live again.” Suddenly, Ezekiel heard a sound. He couldn’t believe his ears or his eyes. These very dry, bleached bones started to rattle and move.
God was putting the pieces of the ultimate puzzle back together, and He didn’t even need to look at the box. Sinew, muscle, tissue, skin all stacked on the bones, and they lay on the valley floor, no longer skeletons, but now people. They were together again, but they were still dead.
Ezekiel was beyond bold. He preached to the wind, and the wind blew breath into the bones as they stood up, an exceeding great army. If Ezekiel were to meander through those people and look on their name tags, he might have seen, “Hello, my name is Sarah.” “My name is Rachel, mother of three.” “My name is Isaiah, a farmer.” “My name is Eli, Rebekah’s husband.” They were real people who lived real lives. Those bones have names.
I see the bones of people’s relationship with God who used to worship and walk with Him, but at some point, they got hurt. Or offended. Or addicted. Or disillusioned or disappointed with God. Or they got wounded in the war. Click To TweetI’m glad for what God did for Ezekiel’s city in Ezekiel’s day, but I have my sights set on my city in my day. I hope you have your sights set on yours. God wants to do for us what He did for Israel. I see the bones of people’s relationship with God who used to worship and walk with Him, but at some point, they got hurt. Or offended. Or addicted. Or disillusioned or disappointed with God. Or they got wounded in the war. A quick glance at their social media testifies that their relationship with God is just very dry bones on the valley floor.
God will breathe life back into the bones, and the people who used to live for Him will live for Him again.
But hear the word from the Lord telling us to preach to the bones because the same miracle process that worked for Ezekiel works for us. When the preacher starts preaching and the Spirit starts moving, God will breathe life back into the bones, and the people who used to live for Him will live for Him again. In Ezekiel’s day, in our day, the bones have names.
LJ Harry is the senior pastor at Mount Vernon Church in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and the adult editor at Pentecostal Publishing House.