Hope for the Weary Soul
We were cruising down the interstate with the windows down, sunroof open all of us singing at the top of our lungs.
“Open the grave, I’m coming out, I’m going live, going to live again.
This is the sound of Dry Bones Rattling”
Lyrics from Rattle, Elevation Worship
The strong beat of this anthem always gets us fired up. The repeating of the chorus and the shout of “Live, Live” gets us all excited, shouting and laughing as we yell “live” to each other.
After the song was over, I asked the kids if they knew what the song was talking about when it said “dry bones hear the word of the Lord” or if they knew what “dry bones rattling” meant.
This was a story from the Bible my kids were not familiar with. Frankly, it was a story I needed to revisit. So, over some sub sandwiches, I read them the story of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 37 NLT 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.’”
7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”
10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.
11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ 12 Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. 14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”
In this passage, God instructed Ezekiel to prophecy over the dry bones. He told them to live and breathe again. He wanted His people to have hope and live again. God wanted Ezekiel to understand His Power, His Glory and the strength of our words. He told Ezekiel to command dry bones come to life and they did.
God wanted Ezekiel to declare life and hope over a desperate situation.
And I believe He is asking us to do the same!
I believe now more than ever we are reminded of the importance of what comes out of our mouth. We are inside with the same people continuously. There is a lot of "togetherness". We are reminded that words we speak create a rhythm in our home. They create a song in our soul.
Are we living in hopeful expectancy that God is going to move in this situation?
Are we declaring God's truth filled promises over this uncertain situation?
On a simpler level, are we speaking words of encouragement, victory and joy over our kids?
Are we using the excuse of “funny and sarcastic” to speak cruel, condescending words to those closest to us? Yikes, that one hits a little too close for this gal.
What we say matters to those around us, but also to our own mental health. We have to receive God's love and grace for ourselves before we can pour it out to others.
Here are some words of truth to speak over your soul in case you need a bit of encouragement:
I am a child of God (John 1:12)
I have peace with God (Rom 5:1)
I am chosen by God, holy and dearly loved (Col 3:12)
I have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16)
I have been given a spirit of power, love and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7)
I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil 1:6)
I can do all things through Christ, who gives me the strength I need. (Phil 4:13)
Let’s change the tone in our homes and in our minds!
Love, B
