The Valley of Dry Bones

Today's devotional is from Jerry Johnson:

Ezekiel 37:1-10

The Valley of Dry Bones

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had 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 the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
 
Have you ever read something and it just grabs you, not immediately but it grows on you. You know it is of God, but you’re not sure what it means beyond the obvious. When a friend shared this passage I was struck by the fact that these bones are of very dead and decayed people. They were very dry! Very dead! When God asks Ezekial “Son of Man, Can these bones live?” Ezekial didn’t debate with God or show doubts about how beyond redemption they were, or whether it was possible. He focused on the sovereignty of God, responding “O Lord God, You know.”

I love that answer. When we are praying we can approach God and let him know that we know He knows and can accomplish it. It is a beautiful sign of trust in our creator. O Lord God “You know.” Everyday we are confronted with situations where that phrase answers for us. We can use it for a sign of trust in God.

-Jerry Johnson