Readings for today: Ezekiel 37-38, James 1:19-2:17, Psalms 117, Proverbs 28:1
I love the vision of the valley of dry bones. I can almost picture Ezekiel there in the midst of all that death. Preaching. Prophesying. And I can imagine his astonishment as the bones begin to come together. Sinews begin to form. Lungs filling with the breath of God Himself. It’s a vision of resurrection. A vision of new creation. A vision of renewal and revitalization. A reminder that with God hope is never fully lost.
I have been to the valley of dry bones in my life. I have been there personally. I have been there professionally. One of the things I love most about my work is the time I get to spend with congregations who have plateaued or are experiencing decline. They often feel dry and listless. Their energies and resources are spent. Their hope is almost gone. I often use this passage to lead them back to God’s vision for their church. God’s vision for their ministry. God’s vision for their mission to the community in which they are planted. I use this text to help them dream again. To help them discover new possibilities. To help them see the future God has for them.
Sometimes I get to see the dry bones come together. Sometimes I get to see muscles and sinews begin to form. Sometimes I get to watch as God breathes new life into His people and the congregation comes alive. They rediscover God’s purpose. They reaffirm God’s promise. They revitalize with God’s power. It’s an awesome thing to witness. Sadly, sometimes the bones remain dry. Muscles and sinews refuse to form. The valley remains eerily quiet and deathly calm. And the congregation dies a slow, inexorable death. It’s heartbreaking.
I see this happen in individual lives as well. I think of the young woman who comes to me seeking counsel for a broken marriage. She and her husband are at odds. The children are caught in the middle. She’s struggling at work. Struggling at home. Struggling in almost every area of her life. But she responds to God’s Word. She is open to God’s Spirit. And slowly but surely the bones of her life begin to come together as God breathes new life into her soul. Then I think of the young man I know. He too is struggling in his marriage. He too is struggling as a father. He too is struggling at work and at home and in almost every area of his life. But he refuses to submit to God’s Word. He remains closed to God’s Spirit. His bones never move and his continues it’s descent into chaos and pain.
We all have choices to make. Will our bones respond to the gospel? Will our bones respond to the preaching of God’s Word? Will our bones respond to what God wants to do in and through us? Or will we remain dead in our sin? Dead in our choices? Dead in the decisions we make each day?
Readings for tomorrow: Ezekiel 39:1-40:27, James 2:18-3:18, Psalms 118:1-18, Proverbs 28:2