Lord, Help Me to See It Your Way
Dry Bones Situations – Part 2
1. The Hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the middle of the valley, which was full of bones,
2. And caused me to pass by them round about: and behold there were very many in the open valley; and lo, they were very dry.
3. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”
4. Again, He said to me, “Preach upon these bones, and say to them, “O you dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord.”
5. Thus says the Lord God to these bones; “Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I Am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 37:1-5
Get the Clear Vision
How many of us would be willing to admit that many of our prayers are devoted to petitioning God to see things our way? The real focus of our prayer should be the other way around. We should be asking God to help us see things His way. This is important for several reasons. First, we don’t always understand situations in this life. We don’t know the purpose of why we have landed in a “dry bones situation.” Second, we rarely understand what to do to change these situations. While we may see the mess for what it is, that is a far cry from knowing what to do to improve the dry bones situations. Then thirdly, even if we had a full understanding of the situation and knew the precise steps to change the situation, we would still need the strength to follow through.
Let’s recall Coach Tony Bennett’s situation with the UVA basketball program. Bennett depended on “five pillars” to mold the struggling UVA players into a national championship team but the power to make it happen was not in his hands. Coach Bennett communicated principles but also understood that the power to transform the team was not from himself but the very principles he taught. There had to be a willingness on everyone’s part to focus on something greater. Isn’t that what faith is all about? It’s about seeing things from a higher perspective. The pillars of humility, passion, unity, servanthood, and thankfulness were not based on individual talent, but about team spirit and support for higher principles of living. Their more about character building than championship strategies. Yet, those same principles were communicated, practiced, and ultimately produced game changing results.
Game changing pillars worked for a sports team but how do life changing pillars work for “dry bones situations?” What should the believer do to change the outcome for the life struggles they face. Faith building pillars apply because they become powerful strategies to help believers refocus on God’s vision rather than our own imagination. We see this played out in Ezekiel’s life.
God brought the prophet Ezekiel into a valley of dry bones not to imagine, but to catch the vision. God asked Ezekiel an impossible question, but first God showed the prophet an impossible situation. The Hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the middle of the valley, which was full of bones … And caused me to pass by them round about: and behold there were very many in the open valley; and lo, they were very dry… And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” It all starts with getting the right vision and the right perspective from God.
Imagine, for a moment, if Ezekiel had listened to the voice of his countrymen regarding this “dry bones situation.” How do you think they would have responded? As a matter of fact, the text gives us their comments. The House of Israel was saying, “our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts.” Ezekiel 37:11. Those were the Facebook messages and Instagram posts of that day. Their vision painted the picture of hopelessness, but God’s vision was a vision of hope in the resurrection of Israel.
Imagine also, if Ezekiel had listened to the voice of the enemies of Israel or to the voice of Satan. The vision would have been tainted to only see the fear, doubt, and utter despair for the nation. Make no mistake about it, had Satan brought Ezekiel to that valley, the vision would have been one of hopelessness. I think about our Lord Jesus in the Wilderness and how He was tempted of the devil. Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread, to throw Himself down from the pinnacle of the Temple, and to fall down and worship him. Each one of the temptations would have meant defeat to the “dry bones situation.” Jesus responded to Satan with God’s Word. The only way to catch a clear vision is to invoke the power of God’s Word. Don’t allow people, Satan, self, or circumstance dictate the vision. Listen to the Spirit of God and He will explain the vision and make it plain.
Ezekiel admitted he did not have the answer and responded, “Lord, you know.” The only way to put the right label on those “dry bones situations” is to get that clear vision from God and admit that He alone has the answer.
Admission to the Clear Vision
God Almighty will show powerful truths that apply to “dry bones situations.” We are using the five pillars approach that Coach Bennett used to transform his UVA team. Bear in mind, we must see these pillars from God’s perspective and not rely on our reasoning.
As we have studied earlier, Admission is when we acknowledge that the problem is bigger than us. It did not take Ezekiel long to do an assessment and find that he did not have the insight to answer whether the “dry bones could live.” Something amazing happens when we are willing to admit that we don’t know. Admission does not mean we are giving up before even attempting to find the answer. Admission means God has the answer and we are willing to seek His Way. Admission is a declaration or disclosure that gives us access into the truth. From Ezekiel’s perspective, God brought him to the valley. God was with him in the valley. This meant that God had a plan and purpose for the “dry bones situation.” The Hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the middle of the valley, which was full of bones … And caused me to pass by them round about: and behold there were very many in the open valley; and lo, they were very dry … And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”
Admission is followed by observation. Quite plainly, this is simply listening closely to what God says. When we observe, we pay close attention to God Answer. Growing up in rural Southside Virginia, I attended school in a three room schoolhouse called Staunton River Elementary, Number Two. That was during the era of the racially divided school system in Halifax County. Teachers taught more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. They taught life skills. One of the lessons taught in the first grade was what to do when you come to a train crossing. The simple lesson was summed up in three words: stop, look, and listen. So, if you approached a train crossing you would remember to stop, then look both ways, and listen for the sound of the train. It worked. It not only worked for country trains, but it also worked for city trains. It worked in other nations around the world. It is a universal concept that keeps people safe at train crossings.
That same concept of stopping, looking, and listening is applied to observation. The prophet Ezekiel stopped, looked, and listened to God. … And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again, He said to me, “Preach upon these bones, and say to them, “O you dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:3-4.
For many of us, we don’t have the problem with stopping. Life does that. Sickness can stop you. Financial calamity will cause you to stop. Family struggles will stop you. Even, pandemics will place things in “lock-down.” Stopping is not the real issue. It is the looking and listening that people encounter problems. Observation means we look to God for the answer and listen closely to His Voice. Let’s see how this truth is applied in Ezekiel’s “dry bones situation” and then apply it to our life situations.
God brought Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones, right? God asked the impossible question of whether the bones could live. Here is where we understand how the anointing of the prophet works. The prophet of the Lord was never to speak their own words; they were to speak only the Word of the Lord. While the Spirit of God had led Ezekiel to assess the condition of the dry bones, God had not given Ezekiel the Word of the Lord concerning the dry bones. Notice the Word “Again.” This Word is powerful because it means that while God has spoken once in asking the question, “can these bones live,” God will speak again with the instructions on speaking life to the dry bones. In other words, “Again” means God is not finished. There is more to come. In a dry bones situation, many believers become confused over the questions and rarely do they stop, look, and listen for God’s reply. For the child of God, there will always be “Again.” This demonstrates that God will not abandon the believer in the valley. If He shows you the problem, rest assured the answer is on the way.
Now, what did God tell Ezekiel about the valley of dry bones. Again, He said to me, “Preach upon these bones, and say to them, “O you dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord.” God gave specific instructions on what to do about the “dry bones situation.” Too often we allow the problem to preach to us. We allow people to speak negativity and doubt. We allow the circumstance to dictate the outcome. Many believers allow the voices of doubt, heartbreak, and tragedy to tell them there is no hope. But that is not the Voice of the Lord. If God brings you to the valley, He will also lead you through the valley. No matter how dark and no matter how desperate, the Lord leads His people through the valley of the shadow of death.
When the believer is engaged in observation, they will stop, look, and listen to the Word of the Lord. It is in that phase that the heart is strengthened, the mind is prepared, and the spirit of the believer is empowered. Stop: cease all other activity. Nothing could be more important than listening to God. Look: watch for God’s answer. Listen: take in every Word that God pours into your heart. Here is the wonderful outcome. Rather than preaching about the problem, Ezekiel was being equipped to preach to the problem. “Preach upon these bones, and say to them, “O you dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord.”
Rather than preaching about your situations, preach to them. “Preach upon these bones, and say to them, “O you dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord.” Speak to your sickness. Speak to your broken marriage. Speak to your financial condition. Speak to your children. Preach to the problem and don’t let the problem talk back to you. Say to your dry bones situation, “hear the Word of the Lord.”
Three more pillars to come.
1. Obedience – act in accordance with what God tells you.
2. Expectation – have the assurance that God will bring about good results.
3. Gratitude – honor God for His deliverance.