Do You Hear the Sound?
Over Christmas, I sat down to have my quiet time, and followed the scheduled readings for that day, one of which was Ezekiel 37. The minute I started reading, the Holy Spirit began speaking to me strongly that this was a word from Him for His Church right now. I called my favorite Old Testament professor, Dr. Rickie Moore, from Lee University, and spent an hour talking about this chapter in Ezekiel and other topics…and became more convinced this was the message today, not just for Westgate Chapel, but for the Church of Jesus.
The context for the prophetic vision of Ezekial 37 is the nation of Israel, God’s people, under God’s judgment of exile in Babylon, to purify them of their idolatry, at least halfway through their 70 years. And, the Lord gives His servant, Ezekiel, a vision with a message for the people of God.
“The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord…” Ez 37:1a
On a much smaller scale than what the prophet experienced in verse 1, this is what happened to me sitting in my chair that morning. I was “carried away” by the Spirit. And, it is frankly what more of us need to have happen to us right now, to be “carried away by the Spirit”…
- …from the cares and concerns that dominate our hearts and minds right now.
- …from the distractions of life.
- …from the pains and wounds that control our emotions.
- …from all the voices screaming this and that around us.
- …from the demands that we have allowed to distract us from the Word of the Lord and even God’s presence.
When was the last time you were “carried away” by the Spirit in God’s presence in worship or in the Word? Isn’t it time?
“I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones.” Ez 37:1b
Ezekial sees a valley full of death with bones wherever he looks. The bones are scattered, divided, distanced from each other and completely dried out and lifeless. The bones were dismembered and without hope. There was not a sound coming from this valley.
Imagine this prophetic scene. Take it all in and grieve with me for the condition of the Church of Jesus in America. COVID-19 controversies and a year of vicious election activities have actually dragged the true condition of Church into the light… and it is not been a pretty sight. We are a valley of dry bones.
“Then, the Lord asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become a living people again?” Ez 37:3a
On the surface, it looks beyond impossible. The bones are too disconnected, too divided, too dried out for there to be any hope of life again. Maybe at some point of decomposition things could have been turned around, but not now. But, hidden inside this strange question is a small glimmer of hope. Would God even ask the question if He didn’t, within Himself, hold out hope for this seemingly impossible situation?
“O Sovereign Lord, you alone know the answer to that.” Ez 37:3b
We have just come through a season jammed with more prophetic pronouncements than I can remember… many of which do not seem to have come to pass the way we would have expected. This can leave many of us in a condition of fear and doubt. Were these words in error? Can prophetic voices be trusted going forward? As a prophetic people, (which the Church of Jesus is if it is anything) this is a dangerous place to be.
Here are some thoughts to consider before you throw out the prophetic…
- Even the prophetic has what Dr. Rickie Moore calls “a degree of unknowing” as pointed out by Ezekiel, one of the greatest prophets of all time…and halfway through one of the greatest prophetic books of all time. The Apostle Paul puts it this way… “Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!” (1 Corinthians 13:9 NLT)
- Sometimes we get the right prophetic word but miss the interpretation or timing. When Paul was on his way to Jerusalem in Acts 21, two separate prophetic words were given him that he would be arrested there and he was told not to go! The first prophetic word came to him through the believers in the church at the city of Tyre, in Lebanon…“These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem.” (Acts 21:4 NLT) Then, a few days later, when Paul landed in Caesarea…“…a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea. 11 He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, ‘The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’ 12 When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.” (Acts 21:10–12 NLT) It was the right word, but the believers gave it the wrong interpretation. A NT professor I had in graduate school said that he believed these prophetic words were given so that when Paul was arrested and spent the next few years in prison, they would not despair but remember and realize that God was in control.
- “LORD, you alone know…” is the only attitude for a prophetic people to hold on to that allows God to carry us beyond our disappointments and into the next steps He has for us… otherwise we either get cynical about the prophetic word or lose our faith or lose our minds.
“Then He said to me, ‘Speak a prophetic message to the dry bones.’” Ezekial 37:4a
Isn’t it interesting that as soon as the prophet confesses that there are things only God knows, God gives him his next assignment. A prophetic message is necessary, even indispensable in this situation, because ordinary words spoken from human wisdom, or the world’s understanding, do absolutely NOTHING for a valley of dry bones. The only way to get through to a valley of dry bones is a word from the Lord! We are in a hopeless situation without a word!
“Say to the dry bones, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord. Look [watch and take note]! I am going to put breath [spirit] into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath [spirit] into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” Ezekial 37:5-6
These are the prophetic words Ezekiel is commanded by God to speak into an impossible situation. And impossible situations are when God does His best… impossible situations, against impossible odds. In this situation the only person on the scene in that valley with any measure of life is the prophet of God… and he is commanded to speak to the impossible.
“So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley.” (Ezekial 37:7a)
The sound of rattling replaced the deathly silence that had pervaded the valley beford. The silence of a lifeless and without hope valley was replaced with a sound… the sound of the beginning of life.
“The [scattered, divided, unidentified] bones of each body came together and [re] attached themselves as complete skeletons.” (Ezekial 37:7b)
Whereas before the valley was full of unrecognizable disjointed bones, now you could at least see bodies of people even if it was in skeleton form. The skeletons were at least re-connected.
“Then, as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath [spirit] in them.” (Ezekial 37:8)
Instead of bones and skeletons, now the valley was full of people… lifeless, but at least there were people.
“Then the Lord 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.’ 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.” (Ezekial 37:9-10)
An army had arisen from dry bones!!!
But, God wasn’t done! Once the army stood to life, the Lord then begins to speak life, strength and encouragement into their spirits. Where they were feeling that all hope was gone and the nation was finished, the Lord said, “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 [the occupation of my inheritance for you]. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land/inheritance. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken.” (Ezekial 37:12-14)
Friends, this is the word of the Lord to the American Church. All hope is not gone. The American Church is not finished. God’s promises are sure and He is faithful! Jesus will have an American Church without spot, wrinkle or blemish. There will be revival! Get your hopes up! Keep your eyes open! Can you see it? Keep your ears alert? Do you hear the sound?!