March 7, 2015
Recently I was teaching children about grace, that wonderful gift of God's favor actually flowing into us and adjusting our hearts. I was reminded of Ezekiel 37 where the Lord brought His prophet into a valley of very dry bones, and then asked him, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Ezekiel was not bold enough to say yes, but instead said, "O Lord God, You know."
How often I have responded like that when faced with something in myself or others that is such a blockage to His flowing life. Some situations, some who believe, at times surely look so dead that they are virtually "dried up!"
Thankfully this is the not the end of the account, for God then told this son of man, "Prophecy, speak what I tell you, and I will cause breath to enter into them, and they shall live." Ezekiel then did speak as he was commanded and there was a noise...suddenly a rattling, and the bones came together!
God then gave His servant something more to speak and again he spoke exactly as God commanded, and the Bible says, "...breath came into them and they lived, and stood on their feet..."
These were God's people who had been saying, "Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we are cut off." Is this not how many, or maybe all of God's people feel at times? The obstacles to victory just seem too insurmountable, too crushing, and so very unrelenting! Praise the Lord, the One Who sees! He has the answer, and allows, actually invites us to be part of the solution. His grace flows into us while we open our hearts and desperately, hungrily come to Him in the Word again. Something more of His truth ignites our deepest part , and we realize the God of the universe has quickened, has made alive another truth that we can now pray and speak and declare out loud! As we do this we have the awareness that "life just entered us!"
And then later, in the gathering of the Church this same enlivening is moving deep within, and we in turn prophesy, speak out what He has given us to say. In the mysterious, yet oh so real realm of the Spirit, others are then enlivened as well, and they in turn, speak what the Lord is giving them...and wonder of wonders there is a rattling, a noise, and yes! We are being raised up together!
Isn't this a wonderful vision! I truly believe that in this kind of mutual fellowship, whether in a larger gathering, or just between 2 or 3 believers, we are entering into the reality of Ephesians 2:22 "...in Whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."
