Valley of the Dry Bones

I went on my first mission trip when I was 16 - spring break of my sophomore year of high school.  My church youth group went to Mexico.  I would become a Christian a few months later.  Though I didn't know Jesus personally, the trip was still meaningful.  And as I've gone on more trips the past year or so, I keep thinking back to Mexico.

We were each given a little journal - a green spiral notebook with a picture of a skeleton on it that said, "The Valley of the Dry Bones."  Ekekial 37:1-14.  I can still picture the notebook now and it may be buried somewhere at my parent's house...

Through my Bible in a year reading plan, I read that passage while in Nica last month (I can't believe I left a month ago today, ps! Where does time go?  I miss it!):


The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”


I am pretty sure I've only read this passage those two times: in Mexico and Nicaragua.  SO much has changed in my life in the span of 13 years.  Not only did I come to know and love Jesus, but now I truly believe in prophesy and that God can raise the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit.  I have seen the Lord do crazy things and things like this make me incredibly excited!  Parts of our trip felt like we were in the valley of dry bones - be it the dust or spiritual darkness we encountered.  Yet we watched the Lord restore and revive and bring new life in - no matter how dire circumstances may appear.

I am broken.  And messy.  And sometimes my bones feel dry.  I have had life breathed into me...and I constantly need new life breathed into me.  Today, I told Courtney that I was tired of crying in my office.  {Yet, I'm thankful I'm not in a cube so others don't have to see me.  There's always something to be thankful for, right?!}

So much has changed in 13 years and so much of me is the same. At the end of the day, we are all broken and messy folks who's bones need to be revived by our savior.  The last verses of that chapter say:

My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”

The Lord is in my midst.  He's in my mess and my brokenness.  He is with me in the darkest of times.  As my heart teeter totters between peace and anxiety these days, I am thankful I can rest in the truth that God is mine, I am His, and He's not going anywhere!