Like Dry Bones

Is it just me or does Ezekiel give you chills every time you read him?

I mean, God tells all the prophets all of His problems, but with Ezekiel they sound like best friends. I mean, seriously, in chapter 36:16-31 the Lord talks to Ezekiel about the harm that's being done to His name. It almost sounds like a "This is what people are saying about me" as if there were gossip about Him (Which at this point there kinda was among the "other" nations A.K.A. us...).

Ezekiel's story is INTENSE. Seriously, it's warning after vision after warning after promise after order after vision after promise after vision (not necessarily in that order).

The thing that is SICK about this story for me though that gives the goose-bumps EVERY time is the story of the dry bones becoming flesh.

"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin 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 it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.' "

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Wow is really the only word for this.

So, two pieces of this called me to worship.

1)At the very beginning God asks Ezekiel if the bones could live. Ezekiel's response is perfect! "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know!" Geez, I would have tried something! "Well, God, it doesn't look like it..." or something! Ezekiel, though, not only is he smart, but he talks to God like a best friend and he's just like "I don't have a clue man! You tell me!"

2) 11b says "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost; we are clean cut off (ESV)."

This is the story of my life. Surely the love of God does not extend to ME?!? There is no way! I am a thief, a liar, an adulterer, a murderer in my own heart! I consistently turn in the opposite direction of the call He has in my life! I disobey not only Him but my parents which he commands me to follow faithfully as I follow Him! I put my own life and the inanimate objects in it before Him ALL THE TIME!!!

I'm SO DRY! I'M ALREADY SO DEAD AND ROTTEN!

Here's the cry of worship today.

God's love tells us to get up.

I am wretched. Useless. Less than worthy. More than a sinner. I feel less than alive the majority of the time. I fell less than human. I can't do right.

"Get up. I love you."

Everything that I cried for this week is held in this one story. God is so good!

This weekend, venture into something new. Our God, the God that offered the nations to King David. The God that gave the land of Canaan to Israel when they had nothing. The God who gave Sampson the strength to destroy a temple when all strength was gone. The God that sent Paul to prison JUST SO he could better understand the joy that comes from relying solely on HIM. The God who raised Lazarus from the dead. The God who came and died Himself just so that we could live.

Come into that salvation this weekend. If you've been "saved" for a while, I think Bonhoeffer puts it best in chapter two of his book, "The Cost of Discipleship,":

"The call to follow implies that there is only one way of believing in Jesus Christ, and that is by leaving all and going with the incarnate Son of god."

So choose to follow Him. He's calling you OUT OF DEATH! OUT OF ALL YOUR DRYNESS! OUT OF THIS STUPID FAKE LIFE!

I know this from experience and from everything about my relationship with God. A life without the Lord being active is a life void of everything you need to live on.

I love you all, have a FANTASTIC weekend! and REJOICE in this salvation!!