The Sound of Dry Bones Rattling
Have you heard the song “Rattling” by Elevation Worship? It is powerful! I heard it on the radio and believe it is for RIGHT NOW. On August 18 when our church pastoral team was asking God for strategy during this unique season, I had the picture of a body with all the intricate ligaments and sinews working together. I pondered how strategy would be found in the body, but then the revelation came to me three days later.
God led me to listen to the “Pray as you Go” devotional podcast that day and the passage was from Ezekiel 37— the vision of the dry bones. The picture hit me the same way with the intricacies of the body. The ligaments and sinews come together and the flesh and skin materialized before Ezekiel. The strategy for churches right now is in this passage! God says, “Prophesy to the dead bones.” When Ezekiel proclaimed God’s word of life, the bones joined in flesh and skin in a miraculous way. Next he said, “Prophesy breath” and the bodies began to walk in unity. It is such a powerful story in Ezekiel’s history and I believe there is fresh life and instruction for believers today. Just read this passage and ask the Lord what He might be saying to you today:
37 The hand of the Lord was on 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.2 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. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 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.’”
7 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. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 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, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 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.13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 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.’”
Wow! What an amazing vision Ezekiel had! This was a true event that happened to Ezekiel during Israel’s history, and it still has relevance to us today. Because God’s word is living and active, His Holy Spirit brings revelation to us through His scripture. Both for Ezekiel and for us, we can see the truth that:
God brings life where there is death
God is a miracle-working God
Ezekiel had to hear God’s voice and choose to be obedient to speak out the Word God gave him
Ezekiel had to prophesy and proclaim life to the bones before he saw any change… while the bones were still dead
God is faithful to His Word; when he told Ezekiel to prophecy, He fulfilled His word and brought the dead bones to life
God cares about His people and restores, redeems, and resurrects them to new life
Although this was the vision Ezekiel had almost 2,600 years ago, there is fresh revelation and application for us today. What does this mean for the church? Here’s my interpretation of what I believe God is saying:
Phase One: We need to prophesy and proclaim God’s power and life where we see dry bones:
those dead places in our own personal life
those dead places in our families & relationships
the deadness in our churches
and in the hearts of those who don’t know their Creator as LORD yet.
The dead bones had no life in them until Ezekiel proclaimed the Word of the Lord. The individual and corporate sins like lust, hatred, fear, malice, idolatry, and pride… they will only lead to eternal death. BUT God in His great mercy, is a God of new life and second chances. He is raising the dead places to life! This is the sound of the dry bones rattling!
After Ezekiel saw the miracle of the flesh and bones coming together, they still had no breath in them, and thus couldn’t move forward.
Phase Two: We are to prophesy and proclaim God’s breath into the skeletons all around us. God’s breath— His living Spirit, will enter the dead places in our personal life, family, church, ministry, workplace, nation and around the world. When we pray and proclaim His new redeeming life, people will have encounters with Jesus and hope will rise! Dead marriages will begin to walk in unity. The blind will see. The broken restored. Worship will rise as the army of Jesus-followers walk forward together being fully led by the breath of His resurrecting Spirit. The United States of America has hope when we pray! Our world has life and breath when we proclaim who God is and what His word says.
Will you join me?
Will you pray in faith and spirit every day for the next three months?
The next three months are crucial, probably more than we realize. Come November, will you be left on the metaphorical battle ground, dead and torn apart? Or will you be walking by the spirit and power of the Creator Himself, living as the new creation He has called you to be? He is inviting you today to proclaim His resurrecting word over the dead bones and RISE!