Christian Living

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

GRATEFUL GULPS
In Ezekiel 37, we are met with a miracle. It is a miracle that is offered to all--one which brings us into a life of hope. One that gives the viable product of abundant life.

"The hand of the Lord was upon me and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones"(Ez.37:1).

There is a picture I have of my emaciated life before Christ. I, like all of us, was starving. The meat and substance of my spiritual victuals was not providing the nourishment my heart needed. I lived, dumbfounded by life and directionless, in the barren valley of not-knowing. It was a lowly place.

"He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, " O Sovereign Lord, You alone know" (Ez.37:2-3).

I was not alone in this valley. I was not alone. Enough said!

"Then He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord' " (Ez.37:4-6).

In this passage, so reminiscent of Adam's creation, God's very breath caused, brought about life, created substance from nothingness. Do you remember what it feels like to get the breath knocked out of you? I decided to fly from one branch to another as a child once. I stood in that willow, breathing softly, listening to a slight rustle of leaves, taking in the scent of green before I leapt. I can feel the shudder of that branch under me, as I took flight. No fear coursed through me. I was confident that I could easily make the transition. When I opened my eyes, I was looking up into the dappled green. My brother's fearful face was above mine, and I couldn't breathe! I tried but nothing came. Panic began to set in until finally, finally, I felt a rush of air. With grateful gulps, I sucked it in until my lungs were satisfied. That is a picture of us before the breath of life is blown into us. We are suffocating in this world. It is pressing the life out of us before God steps in with His spiritual oxygenation!

"So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them" (Ez.37:7-8).

There's something to be said for obedience, isn't there? Ezekiel's obedience became the vehicle for a full-fledged miracle. The image of skeletal creatures clicking and clacking, joining together, being covered with skin, brings to light not only the absolute POWER of God, but also the idea that joining is just what God does. It is His greatest desire. These verses provide a perfectly crafted little metaphor for what occurs when we join with Him. We become whole, fleshed out, one with Him...and because of that...

"Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-a vast army" (Ez.37:9-10).

We will stand, whole, strong and huge in the face of our enemy~ a mighty army of believers made one and complete by the living breath of God. Our strength is derived from only His breath in us. I knew a woman of faith who intentionally disconnected herself from the body of Christ. As time away from the refreshing of spiritual teaching and uplifting of body ministry lengthened, she became brittle and hard of heart. She was unaware these heart changes, however. She once said to me in a voice weakened by pain, disappointment and the minutia of petty life details that she felt like she couldn't grab a breath of air---she just felt like she couldn't breathe. That is what occurs when we turn our heads away from God's ministrations (and, He often ministers to us through others in the body, as well). We feel drained and weakened as His breath slowly leaves our bodies.

"Then He said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, My people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord' " (Ez.37:11-14).

Hope. It is what we all need. Hope spurs even the unbeliever to continue. Hope is what fills in the gap between what is and what is to come. Hope is what God willingly, and yes, patiently, offers with His palm outstretched. It is eternal life, HOME, that He offers. He lifts us, carefully and lovingly, sand and pebbles falling from our bones, from graveyard of incorrect thinking, emotion-based actions and reactions, hollow philosophies and of course, fear. He replaces those things with TRUTH. In a dream I once had, I was walking in a desert of red sand searching for someone. Agonized faces were screaming silently at me from the sand, unable to free themselves. Their eyes were full of terror. I see those eyes on the day Christ returns, dawning with understanding at what they have forfeited. God is offering us Life. It is simple. Inhale. Take those grateful gulps and step into wholeness.

c 03/31/2010 M. LaPointe

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