The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones.2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. 3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”
“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”
4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord…’”
“They will never again pollute themselves with their idols and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful backsliding. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 37:1-6, 23 (NLT)
These are Words of Life for the Israelites, spoken by God through His servant, the prophet Ezekiel. They are also Words of Life for me, spoken by God to my heart.
I always wanted to be a “good girl.” Thanks be to God, I never did drugs, despite the offers. I was certainly strong-willed and rebellious toward my parents and their rules. My relationship with God was superficial at best and involved ignoring Him as much as possible.
I tried my best to navigate through life on my own intelligence and choices. By the time I had reached the age of 40 I was exhausted and at the end of my rope with no safety net. I could not figure out how to live a “good” life. I was losing, in so many different ways, in this game called life. Was there any possibility that God was interested in me? Would He forgive me and heal me and bring life into this dried up spirit? Can I become a living person again? Truly, only God knew the answer.
This imagery of a valley of dry bones does describe where I was living. There was no lasting life, no strength, no joy inside of me. Until the night I reached out and said, “Help me, LORD!” and He took my hand and life came into me! It truly did feel like I went from being cold and lifeless to warm and alive! God’s breath, His Spirit, came into me and I knew I was His child and He was my LORD.
And God did not stop there. Isn’t that the most extraordinary thing? God sent His Son to be the perfect, the only sacrifice that could cover my sins and give me e-t-e-r-n-a-l life and He didn’t stop there! He sent His Spirit to continue to teach and guide me. When I begin to slide back into my old life, God is there to show me the road where He is.
God spoke to my dry spirit and breathed His Spirit into me and continues to do that every day when we spend time together. I am His child. He is my LORD.
He Touched Me written by Bill Gaither & sung by The Bill Gaither Vocal Band
I hope you enjoyed the comedy of Mark Lowery! I meant to send you the song, “He Touched Me” so here is the link. — Jody
