“‘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 that you may come to life. I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’” Ezekiel 37:4-6
Most mornings, the pain in my body wakes me before the alarm goes off. Laying there a bit irritated that my body has deprived me of sleep, the morning inventory and ponderings begin. How much pain is there and is it the kind can it be ignored? How much energy is available and will it improve as I start moving or quickly fade? How angry is my gut and how well will it cooperate with eating throughout the day? What is planned for today and will it have to be adjusted due to the responses to the prior queries? At best, I will encourage my body to get moving and function relatively normally (for me) throughout the day. At worst, I’ll end up more like a slug accomplishing the bare minimum. More often than not, it will be somewhere in the middle of the two. Notice that there is no “This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it”, nor is there a mental or spiritual inventory. In those early moments of the day, it’s usually all about the body. Short sighted, focused and exhausting. I long for days when I awaken refreshed and alive. Whether or not one is ill, this life can be wearying. Trials and illness most certainly sap the strength from us on every level encouraging us to withdraw and become self-focused. However, jobs, family, relationships and social obligations are just as capable of draining us of physical, emotional and spiritual strength. Without attention to our souls, we become like the bones in Ezekiel’s vision: dried up, hopeless and cut off. In those times it’s important to remember who we are, where our strength comes from and where or hope lies.
As children of God, we know through teaching and experience that our strength is provided by God and our hope rests in Him. Yet, we often wallow expecting that our friends, comfort foods, mindless activities, etc. will sustain us until we somehow rise up again in strength. While those things may provide some temporary comfort or distraction, they do not provide the life giving strength and hope that God does. However, when we humble ourselves, turn to God and ask for revival, He will provide what we need for our body, our mind and most importantly for our souls. We have confidence in this because He has promised and is faithful. Specifically, He has promised:
- “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
- “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
- “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)
- “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (Isaiah 40:31)
- “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.” (Psalm 149:4)
- “The righteous cry, and the LORD hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:17)
In other words, He: will not leave us, will strengthen us, will supply all of our needs, generously gives wisdom, prevents weariness, takes pleasure in us, beautifies us with salvation and delivers us. All we have to do is turn to Him and ask.
Just as our trials and pain have purpose, so too does our revival. The byproducts of our renewal are: solidification of our faith (Psalm 80:18), rejoicing (Psalm 85:6), obedience (119:88), praise (Psalm 40:1-3), testimony (Psalm 9:14) and maturity. Further, when we are strengthened, we are able to bear the weaknesses of those whose strength has been depleted and thereby become channels for God’s grace in the lives of others. (Romans 15:1)
As we mature in faith, we become like the writer of Psalm 71 who was able to say: “O God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still declare Your wondrous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come. For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? You who have shown me many troubles and distresses will revive me again, and will bring me up again from the depths of the earth. May You increase my greatness and turn to comfort me.” In our times of weariness or despair, mature faith allows us to acknowledge God’s greatness, praise Him for it, remind those around us of His strength and character, and confidently trust that God will once again revive and comfort us as He has always done.
The point of the vision of dry bones for Ezekiel, the Jewish nation and us is: “you will know that I am the Lord.” It is God who is at work to sustain us and revive us. Our despair and frustration come when we forget that basic fact. We are not left to our own devices, but have a God who loves us, understands us, sustains us, revives us, encourages us and stands with us every moment of our lives. Our part is to acknowledge Him, trust Him, turn to Him first, allow Him to direct us, praise Him, tell others about Him and hope in Him alone.
May our God revive you according to His lovingkindness and comfort you in any affliction that you may be facing.
Will