Ezekiel was standing in the middle of a valley full of dead, dry bones because the Spirit of God had led them there. He was the prophet of God and was tasked by God to preach his Word throughout Israel. You see God favored Israel above any other culture He had created. He loved them and was ready always to guide them down the right path, no matter how many times they messed up. He sent Ezekiel to the middle of this valley to ask him a question, “Will these bones live?” I find it a little funny how Ezekiel is not so quick to answer the question but only replies “Lord you know.” Very smart on his part; he recognizes how little man knows about the secrets of God. God wanted to know how Ezekiel would respond when he was told to speak to dead things. These dry bones God compares to the people of Israel. They were in a cycle of returning to their idols, sinning, and then returning to God. God wanted Ezekiel to be able to preach even when he knew the people were dead, and as far as he could see the people were stubborn; but God wanted him to realize that man alone can do nothing, only he can. God wanted Ezekiel to trust him even amid the turmoil. God wanted people to trust him even in their hardships.
Psalm 62:6-8 “He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.”
The reason why David was called a man after God’s own heart was that David recognized how much he was lost without God. H knew that God would protect him and help him even when nobody could. God was the one who could save him from anything, all he had to do was put his trust in Him.
Isaiah 57:15 “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabited the eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
Just like he did with the dry bones in the valley, God will revive the hearts of those who humbly come before him and those that are remorseful, yet they don’t know what to do. Isaiah tells us in chapter 57 verse 15 that God is with them, and he will revive them. In the dictionary revive means to return to consciousness or life; to become active or flourishing again. God knows we are dead without him. I think the hardest thing about being remorseful is trusting that God can help you and that you can get better.
In Matthew 17:18-20, Jesus rebuked his disciples for not believing in the power of God. They had tried to cast a demon out of a young child and could not succeed.
Matthew 17:18-20 “And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
While God does interfere in the affairs of men, He wants us to do our part as Christians and believe he will do what he said. We cripple ourselves when we underestimate the ultimate power of our creator. How can we build our faith up?
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Now I’ve studied this verse out very in-depth a while back and I encourage you to study it too, but the point of this verse is to realize that faith is believing in something that can happen even if you cannot see it. God wants us to rely on faith when we confess our sins. I mean come on, how many of us have seen God face-to-face? We had to trust God was there. Our faith is built up through prayer.
I Thessalonians 5:16-19, 21 “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Prove all things; hold fast that which good.”
I know the first verse is a hard thought: Rejoice evermore, but sometimes you have to fake it ‘til you make it.
Pray without ceasing: pray in your good times and in the bad; pray when you are frustrated, confused, agitated, or enthusiastic; pray with your friends and pray alone. In life, and I know for a fact, you cannot get through life without praying. Even sinners come to a place where they cannot do it all on their own and they know they must talk to a higher power.
Be thankful for everything: like Paul said he glorifies God in the hardships because it builds character, but don’t forget to be thankful in the happy times.
Quench not the Spirit: Don’t sear your conscience, listen to it. Feed it. Read your Bible, pray. It will guide you more than you know.
Prove all things; hold fast to the good: Listen to authority but run it through the Bible to check for validity (truth).
Above all believe that when God tells you something to do, do it. Listen to Him. No matter how confusing you feel, He knows what’s best for you and He is not a God of confusion. Plus, Christianity is not about how you feel, it is about your confidence in your Savior.
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