Valley of the Dry Bones

Ezekiel waded through piles and piles of dry bones in the middle of the valley. What was he thinking as the Lord led him through the valley? I can imagine his thoughts being similar to these:

Why am I here?

What does the Lord wish me to see when I look at these dry bones?

The Lord led me here for a reason and it is up to me to be open to His voice.

Sound familiar? While walking down the path the Lord wants us to take, there are many trials, obstacles, and tests that leave us as lost and confused as Ezekiel had to have been. The devastation of seeing nothing but dead, dry bones as far as the eye can see had to have been heart-wrenching.

One thing I'm sure Ezekiel learned that we need to always remember is that even when we are in the valley, surrounded by dry bones, the Lord is with us. Sure, He led us there, just as He led Ezekiel, but He didn't leave us there to fend for ourselves. As Ezekiel had to turn to the Lord for answers and comfort while in the valley, we must do the same thing. Even if the answers are forever out of our reach.

Why am I here?

We've all been there. Standing in the valley, surrounded by a pain that was sure to consume us. Our first question is generally why. Why did God bring me here? Why did this happen? Why, if God loves me as He says, would He allow me to endure so much pain? God is a big God and He can handle all of our whys. He hears them anyway, so why not voice them? Why not cry out to God in the valley and tell Him that we don't understand?

As humans, we are designed to feel a plethora of emotions. Anger. Happiness. Sadness. Joy. Pain. Love. Grief. Sorrow. Hope. How can we believe that God created us just as we are, but not believe that we can cry out to Him in our pain or anger?

In Ezekiel 37 as the prophet is weaving through the dry bones, the Bible doesn't mention the questions rolling around in his mind, but we know they were there. As a human, how could they not be? Ez. 37:2 says “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.” Why am I here? A very reasonable question that we've all asked one time or another in our lives. Will we always hear the answer? No. Will we ever understand? Not entirely. Our minds are finite and flawed. There is no way to fully comprehend the mind of God, who is infinite and holy. But even in the midst of our questions, God gives us the peace that He will carry us through, despite our anger and our burning questions.

What does the Lord wish me to see when I look at these dry bones?

These weren't just bones in the valley. They were dry bones. Imagining a valley filled with bones is one thing, but imagining that same valley where the bones were dry is another. In the natural course of death and decaying things, it takes a bone decades to dry out. In some climates, it can take up to 80 years for bones to decay.

When we look at the dry bones in Ezekiel's valley, we know they represent the children of Israel. The fact that the bones are dry paint a very clear picture that the rebellion of Israel was not something that happened over night. It took years for the state of Israel's faith to be likened to a valley of dry bones.

As a prophet of the Lord, Ezekiel had to have moments where he doubted the Lord's methods. Finite minds could never comprehend His infinite mind. He obviously knew that the Lord was trying to teach him something, but it had to have seemed unusual for the Lord to use a valley of devastation. At least until God spoke.

The Lord led me here for a reason and it is up to me to be open to His voice.

Ez. 37:3 says: “He asked me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' I said, 'O Sovereign Lord, You alone know'.”

While reading this passage, it is easy for us to hear the thoughts rolling through Ezekiel's mind. If we can know his thoughts that are not expressed, how can we possibly believe that God couldn't hear them? Voice them. Cry out to God and demand an answer. He will always give an answer, even if it is to simply trust Him. If we are willing to cry out to God, we have to also be willing to be still and listen for His voice.

Ez. 37:4-6 says, “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.’”

Why am I here? As a prophet, Ezekiel knew to follow the Lord and do as he was commanded. Now, standing in the middle of a valley, surrounded by dry bones, he was ordered to talk to the bones. Talk to bones? Seriously? Not only was he to talk to them, but he was to tell them that the Lord was going to give them new life! These dry bones would soon be reattached by tendons and flesh and breathe the fresh air of life.

Keep in mind that Ezekiel was an Old Testament prophet. He was not alive when Jesus walked the earth. He did not witness the countless miracles that Jesus performed. He was not there when Jesus rose from the grave and ascended into heaven. But he had seen God move. He knew God's sovereign power and the consuming authority He had over all of creation.

Ezekiel knew that there was nothing God couldn't do. If he had any questions after hearing God's command, I believe it was still more along the lines of 'why' than 'how'. Why would God wish to revive these dead, decaying, dry bones? They were useless. Whatever purpose they served has long ago ended.

Yet, God saw something we couldn't. God saw a future that we could never even imagine. As painful and trying the valleys of life are, God is still in control and He knows what He's doing.

Ez 37:7-14 says, “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, breath, from the four winds 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 people 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: 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.’”

Can you imagine being surrounded by dead bodies and speaking to them, telling them that they would soon have life, and then watching as that happened right before your eyes? Sounds a bit frightening to me. Frightening and amazing. God craves us. He longs for a loving relationship with us and He refuses to let ourselves stand in the way. Regardless of how dead or dry our faith is, He longs to restore us.

Why am I here?

What does the Lord wish me to see while I'm standing this valley?

The Lord led me here for a reason and it is up to me to be open to His voice.

Regardless of our valley or trial, the questions are the same and so are the answers. God alone may know why we are facing whatever it is we're facing and we may never know this side of heaven. Do we stop asking questions or seeking answers? Do we refuse to take the time to try and see what God wants us to see? Do we give it our all to see our trials as God sees them? The Lord may not have caused the trial in our life to come, but He will be the cause of our comfort and peace if we let Him. He promises to never leave us or forsake us. Never. Regardless of how long our faith has been dry and useless, God is still standing by, waiting to give us a new life. Willing to give us His Spirit so that we may live.

Ask your questions. Voice your anger and frustration. God hears our hearts and minds regardless of what our mouths may say. But it can't end there. You can't rail at God and then close your mind and heart to His answer. You have to be willing to wait to hear His voice. It will come, for God is never silent. The world around us often makes it impossible to hear Him, but He is with us and He is trying to communicate. He wants us to hear Him. He wants us to find the comfort and the peace we desperately need in safety and love of His outstretched arms.