Knowing God In a Bad Place
11. Then He said to me, son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts.”
12. Therefore, prophesy and say to them, “Thus says the Lord God; behold, O My people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel.”
13. “And you shall know that I Am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves.”
14. “And shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall you know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, says the Lord.”
Ezekiel 37:11-14
God is With Us in the Situation
Sooner or later, we are going to discover that there is no Google search for remedies to spiritual problems. The answer must come from God. It is critical for mortals to get to the place where they run out of answers and then turn their attention to the only One that gives true answers: God Almighty. Why do we fret and toil over futile pursuits when God the Father is waiting for us to call upon Him? The Lord invites us to call upon Him and He will answer and show great and mighty things which have not been known. Jeremiah 33:3.
As we have shared in this study on “Dry Bones Situation,” our first strategic move is to admit that the problem is greater than us. Our own pride, so often, gets in the way of deliverance in these circumstances. While the Ezekiel 37 passage was written to Israel to help them find deliverance through God’s Word, we as Gentiles can discover some Bible truths that apply to our difficulties in life where we are hopeless and downtrodden. The amazing discovery of this passage is that God was with the prophet Ezekiel and explained to him the things that he did not understand. That is the discovery that every person on this planet needs to make: God is with us. Even when we are wrong, God is with us to deliver us from sin. Even where there is chaos, God is with us to bring His peace. No, we don’t deserve such deliverance and yet it is made available to all who call upon the Name of the Lord due to the tremendous Gift of Christ Jesus, the Lord. As God did for Ezekiel, He will do for us and talk us through every “dry bones situation.” When faced with a crisis, it will do very little to know every detail of how bad things are, we need some good news of hope and purpose and plans for a future. I don’t know about you but listening to the latest world and local news is extremely troublesome. I need to hear the Good News that God is with us. Let me hear about Immanuel. Let me hear about the Savior and His deliverance. Let me hear the words, “And you shall know that I Am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves.”
Showing Gratitude is the Key to Knowing God
Today’s message focuses on the key strategy of gratitude. How does gratitude help us honor God for His deliverance? I believe it does three things for the believer. It first helps them to know that God is gracious. He does not reward us according to our sin nor does He repay us based on our sin. God shows mercy and is gracious to us. The second application of gratitude is that it reestablishes our identity based on our relationship with God. Ezekiel was told that the valley of dry bones represented the nation of Israel. They lost their identity because through their identification with idols and false teachings. When they renewed their relationship with God, they were given renewed life from God. The third application of gratitude is that it prepares the believer to live the new life. The nation of Israel was called to live as God’s Army of Saints and not as servants of sin. Gratitude is amazing when we express it even while we are in the valley.
Our discussion on gratitude will complete the five key strategies to overcome every dry bone situation. Here is the summary of the five powerful strategies:
1. Admission – know when the problem is bigger than you.
2. Observation – pay close attention to God Answer.
3. Obedience – act in accordance with what God tells you.
4. Expectation – have the assurance that God will bring about good results.
5. Gratitude – honor God for His deliverance.
What better way to demonstrate God’s victory than to express it with gratitude! There is no way to repay God. There is no way to earn His favor or demonstrate His mercy and goodness than through the expression of sincere gratitude. There are many who can pray to get out of the valley. There are many who will be obedient as long as God is granting deliverance. The true test comes when the dust of the ordeal is settled and when bad situations are turned into good. Let’s take a look at what expectation means for the believer by asking the question “do I believe God can do this?”
The question arises: did Israel know God? Based on the text, God testified that Israel would know God (future tense). What they thought they knew only ended in their dry bones situation. So, the truth is, they did not know God. Therefore, prophesy and say to them, “Thus says the Lord God; behold, O My people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel” … “And you shall know that I Am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves.” So, just to be sure we understand that Israel was not only dead, but they did not know God. Had God given them life without giving them knowledge of Himself, it would have been fruitless. Israel did not just need to be resurrected; they needed to know God. Israel wanted to witness the power of God but limited their knowledge of God.
Here is the point of application. Unless we show gratitude and seek to honor God, there will always be the lack of knowledge of God that will eventually result in bondage and destruction. In the same way that Israel got into trouble and eventually their dry bones situation, any believer that has a limited knowledge of God will end up in that same valley. The way to avoid such future dry bones situation is to know God and to honor Him with our gratitude. Gratitude is the key.
There are many examples that associate ingratitude with the lack of knowledge. If Adam and Eve had shown gratitude toward God, they could have avoided their dry bones situation. If Lot, Abraham’s nephew, had shown gratitude toward God, he would have avoided his dry bones situation. When we are ungrateful, we cannot grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. Most people have a general knowledge of God but have not allowed the Holy Spirit to teach them all they need to know about God. The key is gratitude; we must honor God for His deliverance.
Gratitude is the Result of Knowing God
So how do we develop the attitude of gratitude? Let’s go back to our three applications of gratitude. First, we need to take it in that God is gracious. God wants to share His goodness with everyone who needs it. He does so in a way that is so wonderful, so extremely kind, and merciful. Everyone needs to know that and once you know that you reach the place of life.
Second, to show gratitude toward God is to honor God and to reestablish a relationship with Him. At one point, God said to Israel, “the ox knows its owner and a donkey knows its master’s manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Isaiah 1:3. We know what happened as a result of their lack of knowledge; they lost their position with God and eventually lost their status as a nation. They were taken into captivity and bondage because of their lack of gratitude. That is when they realized they were in a hopeless dry bones situation. These bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts.” Whenever the relationship with God is severed as a result of sin, death is eminent. Destruction is soon to follow for those who separate themselves from God. But God is so gracious, that He does not leave us in that state. He reaches out in love and forgiveness to restore the sinner. Then He gives us the knowledge of who He is so that we will not repeat those same mistakes. “And you shall know that I Am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves.”
Lastly, when we show gratitude, it honors God by preparing us to live the new life. God raised Israel as a nation that would be His army, His people, and His prized possession. When we honor God, we respect the fact that God made us to serve His purpose and not our own. We don’t try to change it because we know better. Every believer should joy in the fact that the Holy Spirit is transforming them into the likeness of Christ. This is our true heritage and our true identity. Showing gratitude honors God and secures our identity with Him.