“I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act, says the LORD.”
– Ezekiel 37: 14
Ezekiel chapter 37 is one of many prophecies that is a metaphor intended to communicate the very real relationship between God and God’s people. In this vision, Ezekiel is taken to a valley full of dry bones and told to prophecy to the bones. The bones come together, are covered with skin, and then filled with life by the breath of God. In the vision the Israelites are saying “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” God responds, “I am going to open your graves, and bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD.”
Every person of faith (including such greats as Mother Teresa and Archbishop Desmond Tutu) goes through a dry bones period in their life. For most of us, it will happen more than once. It can be really hard to rationalize an all-powerful, all-good God with suffering in the world. Sometimes the effort to do so can suck us dry as prunes and leave us saying “our bones are dried up and our hope is lost.”
Most of the time, when I feel my own faith becoming brittle, I take a deep breath. In the Hebrew of Ezekiel, the word ruach is translated spirit, breath, or wind depending on the context. Modern science tells us that when we breathe in, oxygen enters our blood and spreads throughout our whole body. Thousands of years before anyone could know the science, scripture defined living as breathing. It is also the way that God renews our souls. We can inhale the Holy Spirit and exhale all of our fear and hopelessness.
Taking a step back from what is going on around me and focusing on God fills me with peace, love, and joy. In those moments I don’t ask for anything else – just God to fill my dry bones with new life. God has always come through to the degree that I can feel my heart overflowing. I find myself loving people that seem unlovable, hoping in hopeless circumstances, and resting in the midst of storms.
As we approach the church’s new year (November 30) and the season of Advent, I am aware that everyone is going through things. Everyone has worries and some are going through crises. I cannot promise you that God will answer your prayers in the way that you would like, but I can promise you that God knows all about it. That is the message of Christmas. God loves us so much that God was born a vulnerable baby in order to be with humanity.
Emmanuel, “God is with us” in the messiness of life from birth to death with intimate knowledge of all we go through. God is in our breath filling our bodies with warmth and love. God is in the deepest valleys that seem full of death offering opportunities for resurrection. May this next year be a time of renewal full of hope and love for us all. Amen
