Live, Alive: Can These Bones Live?
When I was growing up, we lived beside an old farmhouse that was dilapidated, fallen down, and had become a “snake pit.” I always thought it was fun to play on the boards on the ground, until one day, in my bare feet, I stepped on top of a big fat snake. I glanced down, saw what it was, jumped and screamed higher than I ever had, and ran away. Of course, we know that is not true. But it is a prevailing disposition for many people. My dad spent the morning flipping over boards, and when he found the snake, he killed it. And I never played on those boards again.
The snake was gone, but I still avoided that area. And many of us do the same thing in life. Painful experiences…Broken relationships…Somebody hurts us…We fail. And long after the…DANGER is gone, we still AVOID the people who were there.
We don’t respond to the text message…
We don’t respond to the phone call…
We ignore the apology and their attempts to make amends…
We stop believing anything will change, and we begin living without hope in those areas of our lives.
As we talked about last week, that is the same thing that Israel experienced, too. They looked at their situation and concluded nothing is ever going to change.
Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NLT2)
1 The LORD took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the LORD to a valley filled with bones. 2 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. 3 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.” 4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 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.’” 7 So I spoke this 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. 8 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. 9 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! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’” 10 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. 11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ 12 Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the LORD. 14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the LORD has spoken!’”
In this vision, Ezekiel is standing in a valley surrounded by bones that represent the hopelessness of the Israelites. There is a certain finality that comes with seeing bones. If we encountered a skeleton in the woods – under no circumstances would we believe that person could be revived. I have never walked through a cemetery – and thought – “let’s just give them a couple of days – they will be fine.” Bones are all that is left after life is gone. The flesh is gone. The muscles are gone. The breath is gone. The LIFE has ended.
So God’s question sounds ridiculous. “Can these bones become living people again?” My response would have been, “Ain’t no way.” But Ezekiel has more wisdom than I do. He responds and says, “God – only YOU know.”
It is amazing how often we are wrong about what is possible. The truth is…
WE DON’T KNOW WHAT IS POSSIBLE
Think about it…people have repeatedly thought things impossible that later became reality. People said we would…Never walk on the moon…Never communicate instantly around the world…Never carry a supercomputer in their pocket. We confuse I can’t imagine with It’s impossible.
And Ezekiel simply responds and says, “O Sovereign LORD, You alone know."
Just because we cannot imagine a DIFFERENT future does not mean God cannot CREATE one. For example: God created the UNIVERSE from NOTHING. God created Adam from DUST. God created Eve from Adam’s rib. God PARTED the water of the RED SEA. Over and over again, Scripture reminds us that God is not limited by what seems impossible to us.
WE don't know what is possible. God DOES. And when it comes to the dry, dead, hopeless areas of your life that you have given up on, GOD HAS NOT.
God has a habit of showing up where people have already given up. He is able to restore. Revitalize. Change. Heal. Ezekiel is wise enough to know that God’s perspective is far more expansive than our own.
Isaiah 55:8 (NLT2)
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
Often, we assume we know how difficulties in our lives will end – but God’s ways are far beyond anything we could imagine. Often we conclude that Nothing is ever going to change… But Ezekiel LEAVES room for God TO BE God.
The Israelites had already made up their minds – that’s why they felt hopeless. They determined that NOTHING would ever change. And if you find yourself with the same attitude remember…
“HOPE IS GONE” DOESN’T MEAN “GOD IS DONE.”
Remember, the lifeless bones represented the hopelessness of the people of Israel. In verse 11 they said, “All hope is gone.” They didn’t say…
…We are struggling.
…Things are difficult.
…We need help.
They said all hope IS gone. They had already DETERMINED that God was FINISHED with them.
That is something about HOPELESSNESS so many of us can relate to. It is not JUST sadness. Hopelessness is the BELIEF that tomorrow will BE EXACTLY like today. Hopelessness is when…
…when you stop expecting things to improve.
…when you stop praying because you have already decided the answer.
…when you stop trying because you have already concluded nothing will change.
Hopelessness affects…
…our expectations.
…our decisions.
…our relationship with God and others.
And once a person becomes convinced that nothing will ever change, they begin living as though nothing can change. But God DISAGREES.
God responded to the hopelessness the Israelites had allowed to consume them… and through this vision, he told them that just because they believed “hope was gone” didn’t mean God was done. And that may be what you need to hear today.
JUST because you have lost hope does NOT mean God has lost power.
JUST because you feel trapped, it does NOT mean God will not part the waters in front of you.
Just because YOU have given up on a relationship does not mean GOD has given up on it.
Just because YOU have stopped praying about it does not mean GOD has stopped working on it.
Just because YOU have ACCEPTED the valley does not mean GOD intends for you to stay there.
In fact, hundreds of years before Ezekiel stood in this valley, God made a remarkable promise through the prophet Hosea. God declares He will…
Hosea 2:15a (NLT2)
15 … transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.
Let that verse sink deep into your heart. SINCE God transforms TROUBLE into gateways of HOPE...Since God transforms valleys instead of abandoning people in them…God is NOT done.
DON’T RUN FROM YOUR DRY BONES
Very few of us, if we happened upon a skeleton in our backyard while planting bushes, would not recoil and gasp. We would call the police, wait for them to show up, and most likely, we would not continue digging as though it were no big deal. Let me ask you…Do you have a tendency to run from the areas that you have written off as failures?
Maybe you avoid people, places, prayer, conversations, confession, or other things because they hurt too much and remind you of disappointment, regret, and loss. Don’t run anymore. God often does His greatest work when people stop running.
Moses spent forty years running from Egypt. Then God sent him back.
Jacob spent years avoiding his brother Esau. Then God made him face his brother.
David ran from Saul for years, but eventually faced him.
God leads his people toward the very places they would rather avoid. Not to shame them. Not to punish them. Not to remind them of their failure, but because He KNOWS He TRANSFORMS troubles INTO HOPE!
Think about the ministry of Jesus. When everybody else ran from lepers, Jesus walked toward them. When everybody else wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery, Jesus walked toward her. When everybody else had given up on the blind beggar, Jesus walked toward him. Jesus had a habit of moving toward the very people and situations others had written off.
And aren't you glad He did?
The truth is, every one of us is in a hopeless situation without Jesus. We were separated from God by sin. We needed forgiveness. We needed grace. And instead of running from the cross, Jesus carried it. He died for our sins. He rose from the dead. And because He lives, there is hope for every person who places their faith in Him.
So, take off your running shoes and put on your cross-training shoes. Stop running and surrender your life to Jesus.
And if you are already a follower of Jesus…
Stop running and make the phone call you have been avoiding.
Stop running and schedule the counseling appointment.
Stop running and check out Celebrate Recovery.
Stop running and call the credit card company.
Stop running and tell your spouse you want to work things out.
Stop running and apologize to your parent or child, and tell them you want to work things out.
Stop running and sign up for a lifegroup.
Stop running and stop tearing down the neighbor who put the fence on your property.
Stop running and start praying again.
Maybe you need to begin praying about something you stopped praying about years ago. Maybe you need to open your Bible again and begin applying it to your life. You don't have to SOLVE everything this week. Just stop running…and begin to Live, Alive.
God is FOR you. And God wants you to stop running, face what you would rather avoid, and watch as He TRANSFORMS valleys into gateways of HOPE.
He will transform the valley when you stop pretending they don’t exist.