The hand of the Lord was on 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 dry 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?"
Ezekiel 37:1-3
This is one of my favorite passages in Scripture and I've written about it here before. But Sunday during worship, we began singing a song which brought it all back to me in a new light.
You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope,You restore
Every heart that is broken
Great are You, Lord!
For the last few years, my family has been in a situation with a loved one that has, at times, seemed hopeless. As we sang this song,the words "You give hope...You restore" resounded in my heart as the promise God has given us to hold onto. But then we sang the final refrain:
All the earth will shout Your praise
Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing
"Great are You, Lord!"
(Great are You, Lord)
(Great are You, Lord)
My mind immediately went to Ezekiel 37. Scripture says the bones were "very dry"; I picture them bleached white by the sun. They had laid there, perhaps for years. Death had come and gone; hope of life was not even a vague thought or memory. But the word of the Lord brought the bones back together, putting muscle, tissue and flesh back on them; His breath, His Spirit gave them life!
For years now, I have held a mental picture in my mind of standing on the platform in worship and seeing my loved one walk through the center sanctuary doors. During the latest New Heart Place graduation service, I had a mental picture of my loved one standing on that platform, having completed the program and receiving their certificate. But lately...the pictures have been fading; the hope has abated...the bones have been bleached white by the hot desert sun.
But today, once again, I am hanging onto the promise. I am holding onto those mental pictures in my heart and mind and I am raising them up to the face of God, reminding Him of His promise:
"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." (Ezekiel 37:4-6)
All the earth will shout Your praise
Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing,
"Great are You, Lord!"
©Be Still and Know
'Lena Ehlert, 2015
