As pastors Margie and I have lived primarily in parsonages provided by the churches we have served. While we are very grateful for having our housing provided for us many of the homes we’ve lived in have had some idiosyncratic features that left us scratching our heads. Many of the houses were built in the last century (or earlier) with some updates going back decades. Carpeting in the bathroom, &/or kitchen; painted-over woodwork, wood paneling from the 60’s, or wallpaper covering a hole in the wall are just a few of the interesting design/renovation choices we’ve witnessed. That said, many of the homes still had what realtors might call “good bones”, solid architectural features that lay under years of misguided renovation efforts, or neglect. One house had beautiful woodwork throughout the rooms, and halls, and solid frame construction that stood out even through multiple coats of paint, and dust. Good bones.
In Ezekiel 37:1-10 the prophet receives a vision from God of a field of dry bones left from a great battle. The Lord asks Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Ezekiel answers, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” God then tells Ezekiel to prophecy to the bones and when he does as he’s told, the bones rise up, flesh and blood return to them, and then God says, “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.’” ( Ezekiel 37: 9) The bodies then came fully alive.
When we go through a long season of struggle, whether it is depression, pain, financial hardship, relationship upheaval, or just a period of stagnation, things may seem very dead. We don’t feel anything will change; we tend to feel numb, unmotivated to do more than just make it from one day to the next.
In these situations, we may not be aware of God’s presence in our lives, or worse, we may feel as if God is ignoring us, or doesn’t respond to our prayers if we bother to pray at all. That can cause us to feel even more discouraged, and hopeless.
If we understand the dry bones as the nation of Israel, we can see Ezekiel encouraging the people to see that God is not done intervening on their behalf. God wants to see new life breathed into a nation that had been conquered by its enemies, defeated, dispersed far from their homeland, and utterly convinced that they had been abandoned to their misery. God’s message to them is that He can and will bring life out of death, victory out of defeat, and hope out of despair.
God may be reaching out to you today with this same message. If you are going through a time of spiritual dryness, there is something you can do. Come to God, trusting that He hears your prayers and is willing to answer them, and know that this period is temporary. You will find your answer in time and be rejuvenated. The rest is up to the Lord and He is willing and able to provide exactly what is needed to bring you through to the other side whole, and even more able to live fully because of the trial.
You are not alone. Others go through seasons of dry bones and can be a source of support. Please know that you have a place where you can find help you find a listening ear, and a caring hand. Please consider this an invitation to reach out to us here at White Hall Baptist Church. We can at least listen, even if we can’t directly offer more than prayer support, and compassionate understanding.
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