Dry bones

"The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor.  They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out.  Then he asked me, 'Son of man, can these bones become living people again?’

‘O Sovereign Lord, I replied, you alone know the answer to that.’

Then he said to me, 'Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!  This is what the Sovereign Lord says:  Look!  I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!  I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin.  I will put breath into you, and you will come to life.  Then you will know that I am the Lord.’

So I spoke the message, just as he told me.  Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley.  The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons.  Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones.  Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

'Then he said to me, speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man.  Speak a prophetic message and say, This is what the Sovereign Lord says:  'Come, O breath, from the four winds!  Breath into these dead bodies so they may live again.’

So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet-a great army."

Ezekiel 37:1-10

This is one of my favorite passages in the Old Testament.  The unforgettable image of bones coming together as God breathes life back into them. It is an incredible picture in my head.  The Giver of Life, the Preserver of His chosen people restoring them back to Him.  Amazing!

Each time I read or hear this passage I am reminded of God's extraordinary ways.  He steps out in ways we do not often understand or in ways that we do not expect just to get our attention.  To remind us that He is Lord and that He has a purpose and that His ways are most definitely higher than our ways.

God does the most remarkable things in order for us to be assured of His unmistakable hand in our life.  The reason...so we cannot take credit for any of the great things that He accomplishes in each of our lives. All credit and glory goes to Him alone.  It is because of His sovereignty that ALL things work out for His glory in life.  He takes the ordinary life and makes it extraordinary!!