God brought Ezekiel to the valley with dry bones and the bones were very dry. Some seasons in our life can look very dry and hopeless but as you obey the Lord, He will bring you through!
[00:00:00] You are now tuned in to the Prayer Is Breathing podcast. My name is Latoya and I want to thank you for listening. Be sure to subscribe for prayer, encouragement, just everything as we jump into the Word of God. Also, ladies, every Monday night via Zoom at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, I host a Bible study called The Equipping and I would love for you to join us. Again, that's every Monday night, 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
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[00:00:39] All right, today I'm going to go ahead and jump into the Word of the Lord in Ezekiel chapter 37 and I'm going to be talking to you about dry bones and just dry seasons, it feels like, in your life.
[00:00:52] And so let's jump into this very familiar passage in Ezekiel chapter 37.
[00:00:57] And it's titled in my book here, in my Bible translation here, the New King James Version, The Dry Bones Live.
[00:01:04] All right, verse 1.
[00:01:06] The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me into the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley and it was full of bones.
[00:01:15] Then he caused me to pass by them all around and behold, there were very many in the open valley and indeed they were very dry.
[00:01:23] And he said to me, son of man, can these bones live?
[00:01:27] So I answered, oh Lord God, you know.
[00:01:30] Now I want to pause before I keep going on.
[00:01:33] I just really like how verse 2 stands out when it says, he caused me to pass by them all around and behold, they were very many in the open valley and indeed they were very dry.
[00:01:45] And sometimes this reminds me of certain seasons in our lives where we get a chance to face things up close and personal and we can see things that are very, very dry.
[00:01:56] And so in this part, the prophet Ezekiel had a clear view of what was going on and he was able to see up close the dryness, the deadness of the situation with these bones.
[00:02:09] And sometimes you can face areas in your life that seem very impossible.
[00:02:15] And sometimes you get an up close and personal look and things come right at you headstrong.
[00:02:21] But just know that with God on your side, you're able to speak to every dry bone no matter how dry it is.
[00:02:29] And here's the question that the Lord asked Ezekiel in verse 3.
[00:02:34] And he said to me, son of man, can these bones live?
[00:02:38] So I answered, oh Lord God, you know.
[00:02:41] And there are different circumstances or situations where this place of this question of can these dry bones live?
[00:02:51] I believe the Lord was looking at Ezekiel's faith and trust.
[00:02:55] And Ezekiel says, God, you know.
[00:02:58] You know if these dry bones can live.
[00:03:00] And certain times we have questions.
[00:03:02] We don't know whether a situation will make it through.
[00:03:07] But God knows.
[00:03:08] God knows every single thing.
[00:03:10] He knows every single detail.
[00:03:12] And verse 4, again he said to me, prophesy to these bones and say to them, oh dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
[00:03:21] Thus says the Lord God to these bones.
[00:03:23] Surely I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live.
[00:03:26] I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you and you shall live.
[00:03:34] Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
[00:03:37] Now what always stands out to me with this is that the Lord actually commands Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones.
[00:03:45] And sometimes we have to prophesy to the dry bones.
[00:03:49] We have to declare the word of the Lord.
[00:03:52] We have to stand firm on what God has said about a situation.
[00:03:55] We have to hold on to the word of God.
[00:03:58] And we have to begin to open up our mouths and speak to the bones that are dry and dead.
[00:04:04] And it just feels like there's so many of them in the valley.
[00:04:08] And so even like I said in verse 2 where it says in the open valley and indeed they were very dry.
[00:04:15] So not only was the valley full of bones but the bones were very, very dry.
[00:04:20] And sometimes you have to speak into very impossible situations because God has given us that authority.
[00:04:28] And so God tells Ezekiel, you go ahead and open up your mouth and you prophesy to these dry bones.
[00:04:35] And I just want to ask you or encourage you to see what dry bones are there in your life.
[00:04:41] The bones that are very, very dry.
[00:04:43] Maybe they've been there a long time.
[00:04:45] Maybe there's so many of them in the valley season it feels like.
[00:04:49] But I want to tell you that as you begin to prophesy and you begin to speak the word of the Lord,
[00:04:56] not necessarily what you see, but you speak according to the word of God.
[00:05:02] And so this is what the Lord commands Ezekiel to do, right?
[00:05:06] And then we go into verse 7.
[00:05:08] And obedience is always connected to the breakthrough.
[00:05:12] Obedience is always connected to the victory.
[00:05:15] So not only does the Lord tell Ezekiel, you go ahead and prophesy to the dry bones.
[00:05:19] Verse 7, Ezekiel says,
[00:05:21] So I prophesied as I was commanded.
[00:05:24] And as I prophesied, there was a noise and suddenly a rattling and the bones came together bone to bone.
[00:05:33] Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them and the skin covered them over,
[00:05:39] but there was no breath in them.
[00:05:41] So immediately Ezekiel prophesied as he was commanded.
[00:05:46] And so there's certain things that unless you do what God is telling you to do,
[00:05:51] you won't see the victory.
[00:05:52] And so in order to see the victory, you have to be obedient to what God is telling you to do.
[00:05:58] And so as you are commanded by God,
[00:06:02] you do whatever God is calling or commanding you to do in the season.
[00:06:06] Even if it looks crazy, even if nobody understands, even if it doesn't make sense,
[00:06:11] as long as the Lord is leading you and guiding you.
[00:06:14] And of course, in major situations, you definitely want to get godly wise counsel,
[00:06:19] because the Bible says that in a multitude of counselors, there is safety.
[00:06:24] And right.
[00:06:25] So when you know what God is speaking to you,
[00:06:27] you have to be obedient to do what the Lord is calling you to do.
[00:06:32] Verse nine.
[00:06:33] Also, he said to me, prophesied to the breath, prophesied son of man and say to the breath.
[00:06:39] Thus says the Lord God come from the four winds,
[00:06:42] old breath and breathe on these slain that they may live.
[00:06:46] So I prophesied as he commanded me and breath came into them and they lived and stood upon their feet
[00:06:53] and exceedingly great army.
[00:06:55] And so even when all we see is dry bones, God sees a great army.
[00:07:02] And this is why when the Lord asked Ezekiel, can these dry bones live?
[00:07:06] He said, oh God, you know, because God knows the end from the beginning.
[00:07:11] And even in the middle where it looks desolate and it looks barren and it looks impossible.
[00:07:17] God knows the outcome even before the beginning of a thing.
[00:07:21] And so even in your life, God knows the outcome.
[00:07:24] God is with you in the middle.
[00:07:26] God is with you in the beginning.
[00:07:28] And God has given you authority to open your mouth and to speak to the valley of dry bones.
[00:07:34] And then again, verse 10 says, so I prophesied as he commanded me and breath came into them
[00:07:40] and they lived and stood up on their feet and exceedingly great army.
[00:07:44] And let me just tell you, I understand what it's like to feel like you're in a valley of dry bones
[00:07:52] where things seem hopeless and it seems like time has run out because in order for these bones to have been very dry,
[00:07:59] that means that they had to sit in this valley for a really, really long time to dry out.
[00:08:05] But even with that, even when it feels like you've been praying for years, you've been fasting,
[00:08:10] you've been doing your best to seek the Lord and live a lifestyle of repentance and holiness before God.
[00:08:16] Even then, it may still seem like there are some dry, dry bones in your life.
[00:08:22] But I want to encourage you to continue to speak to them.
[00:08:25] I want to encourage you to continue to obey the Lord that God can do things suddenly.
[00:08:31] And so verse 10 again says, and stood up on their feet and exceedingly great army.
[00:08:39] And so immediately God can do something in your darkest hour, in your lowest situation,
[00:08:47] in the hardest parts of your life.
[00:08:49] If you just trust God and hold on to God, no matter what, God will bring you to an expected end.
[00:08:56] And so I just want to speak this encouragement to you that where you may feel weary or you may feel tired,
[00:09:03] that you would just go to Jesus.
[00:09:05] I believe Matthew 11, 28 says, come to me all that are weary and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
[00:09:12] And so even when you've been worried by the dry bones or you've been worried by what seems to be unanswered prayers,
[00:09:18] I just want you to know that God is still with you and that as you open up your mouth and wait on the Lord,
[00:09:25] that he can do things suddenly in and through you.
[00:09:29] Okay.
[00:09:30] And so also in that, I want to share a very popular verse as well, but it's in Psalm.
[00:09:37] And David said, I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
[00:09:45] And so you have to believe that God is supreme.
[00:09:49] God is sovereign.
[00:09:50] God can do whatever he wants to do.
[00:09:53] And God is faithful to watch over his word, to perform it.
[00:09:57] And also that there's some things that you have to do, and that is open up your mouth and speak to it.
[00:10:03] Because the Bible talks about that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed,
[00:10:08] we can speak to a mountain and the mountain must be moved.
[00:10:12] And so we have to remember that we have that power.
[00:10:16] We have the authority through the blood of Jesus Christ.
[00:10:19] And that with Christ, the Bible says that Christ is in us, the hope of glory.
[00:10:24] And so we hope in God, our trust is in God.
[00:10:27] And there's certain situations where you may throw your hands up and say, God, only you know.
[00:10:32] But even in that moment, just know that God's promise is that he would never leave us.
[00:10:38] He would never forsake us, that he will always be with us.
[00:10:41] And so we can hold on to that, that he is Emmanuel.
[00:10:44] He is God with us.
[00:10:47] And he's not going to leave us in the valley, that he's not going to leave us in the wilderness.
[00:10:52] He's not going to leave us in the dry places.
[00:10:54] But he will bring us up.
[00:10:56] He will bring us out.
[00:10:57] He will go before us.
[00:10:58] And so we can be encouraged in all things, in all things.
[00:11:04] I just want you to be encouraged and to know that Isaiah 40, 31, that they that wait on
[00:11:10] the Lord, he shall renew their strength.
[00:11:13] And I pray that God will strengthen you.
[00:11:15] I pray that God will strengthen you and give you the capacity to walk by faith and not by
[00:11:21] sight.
[00:11:23] Hallelujah.
[00:11:23] So let us pray.
[00:11:25] Father, we love you, God, even in the valley.
[00:11:28] Lord, whether we're in the valley on the mountaintop, teach us how to love you just for who you
[00:11:34] are, God.
[00:11:34] Not exactly for what you can do, but because of who you are.
[00:11:39] And God, I pray for every person listening that is weary with seeing the dry bones, weary
[00:11:44] with not seeing life on them.
[00:11:47] God, that's weary in this season.
[00:11:49] I pray strength by the power of the Holy Ghost, that strength would come into their heart.
[00:11:55] Strength would come into their mind.
[00:11:57] Strength would come in, oh God, to have faith, to continue to speak to mountains and to watch
[00:12:02] the mountains be moved.
[00:12:04] And so, God, we thank you because without faith, it is impossible to please you.
[00:12:09] But with you, God, all things are possible.
[00:12:13] And so, Lord, we just love you.
[00:12:14] We give you glory.
[00:12:15] We give you honor.
[00:12:16] We give you praise in Jesus' name.
[00:12:20] Amen, amen.
[00:12:21] Listen, if you have not given your life to Christ, I want to encourage you to do that now.
[00:12:27] What better day than to give your life to Jesus?
[00:12:30] And so, you just have to ask him to come into your heart, to forgive you of all your sins,
[00:12:36] to repent, meaning you're not going back to sin, but you're going after God even when
[00:12:41] you're not perfect, but just asking the Lord to come into your heart, believing that he died
[00:12:47] on the cross for your sins and washed away your sins by his blood.
[00:12:52] And through Jesus and Jesus alone, we have life abundantly, but we also have life eternally.
[00:12:59] And so, you have to turn away from sin and come into the arms of Jesus.
[00:13:05] And he will also walk with you and help you.
[00:13:08] So, you never have to say, oh, I'm going to wait till I get everything right before I
[00:13:12] give my life to the Lord or before I start going back to church or what have you.
[00:13:17] But I want to encourage you to come as you are, to not wait another day or another moment,
[00:13:21] but to ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and to forgive you of all your sins.
[00:13:27] Amen.
[00:13:28] Hallelujah.
[00:13:29] I want to thank you for listening.
[00:13:31] Of course, if you need any Christian clothing, I would love for you to check out
[00:13:35] awakechristianclothing.com.
[00:13:37] And so, God bless you and God keep you.
[00:13:39] Have a victorious week and walk by faith.