Lesson of Mindfulness

Ezekiel 37:1

The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; and it was full of bones.

This verse is full of knowledge nuggets! It is like an archaeological dig where you have to uncover the treasures as you gently sift through the words. (Proverbs 25:2) It is similar to the parables that Jesus used to teach with; many applications as one looks deeper into the story. God reveals the initial interpretation of the vision in verses 11-28; the restoration of Israel. However, since we know that God is a Master Storyteller and His Word is relatable to us today, there are still bits of wisdom to be discovered within these words. Let's go digging....

“The hand of the Lord”: Hand in this verse refers to an open hand, indicating power, direction and means. God reveals that His hand...one with power and direction...is available from the very beginning of the journey, guiding him through the valley.

“...was on me and brought me out...” This phrase, interestingly, is simply one word in the original text...yatsa'. The meaning of this one word is … to go out; to go forth. Yet it can also be defined as to germinate; to expand, like a plant.

“...set me down...” the original meaning of this word related to respiring or resting to draw a breath; the sitting down to rest, to be quiet.

I find this fascinating! Ezekiel is standing in the middle of utter devastation. God tells him to look with purpose at the destruction before him...to notice the dry, dis-articulated bones; to truly take in the hopelessness of the chaos in that valley. It is then that God speaks a word...nuwach...which literally means to breathe freely again due to resting. He encourages Ezekiel to simply pause, to sit down and rest a moment. Can you hear the soft voice speak to Ezekiel....”Draw a breath Ezekiel and allow Me to calm your mind so that in the middle of the chaos, you may notice Me.” In other words, Be Still and know that I am God.

I believe God was teaching Ezekiel a very important lesson in that valley...the lesson of mindfulness. Your Father asks you to be present WITH Him in each moment of your day. Being mindful of the Hand of God and His presence has the ability to shift your perspective and correct your vision.

God speaks to each of us in the middle of our own chaos. He encourages us to slow down a bit and pause to catch our breath. Pause long enough to allow your vision to see things for how they truly are and not simply how they may seem in the moment. It is in the “resting” that God's Hand will cause His Truth to germinate and expand in your spirit.

May you embrace the lesson of mindfulness found within the story of the valley in Ezekiel 37; as you do, may you breathe freely once again knowing that God is always with you.

A Royal Mandate

Ezekiel 37 tells the story of Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones. It is just twenty-eight verses but the wisdom, knowledge and hope that is revealed within those verses is quite profound and refreshing! Let's take a walk through the valley with Ezekiel and see what God reveals to us along the way. 

This chapter falls within the part of the Book of Ezekiel where God tells His people that He is going to bring them out of captivity and restore them as a nation. The story of the dry bones is intended to be an illustration of encouragement to His people to have a humble faith in their God. However, to understand the magnitude and scope of what God is illustrating, we need to know a few things about their circumstances.

The nation of Israel was divided within themselves as well as being scattered among the nations of their enemies. They were surrounded and not united as a people...they were without Hope.

God had already given them words of reproof and conviction (chapters 4-24). Now He brings them His Word of Hope...He is going to bring them out of their captivity. He used the illustration of dry bones to make His case for Him. Let's look through the eyes of Ezekiel as we walk through this valley...

As we stand in the middle of this open valley, we look around and see the bones; so many bones, scattered everywhere. They are not buried so they are sun-bleached to a pale, white color and they are in no order...not placed together so that we can make out a full skeleton...No, it's just a chaotic mess of individual bones. It appears that a great struggle or even a battle had taken place in this valley...what is left is the destruction of the people who lost that battle.

We hear a voice...”Can these bones live?” What kind of question is that? We see the evidence of utter devastation...no sign of life...nothing but chaos. Tears may have stung Ezekiel's eyes and his heart may have begun to break as he stood there thinking of the lives that these bones represented. 

“Can these bones come back to life? Only You hold the answer to that question God. What I see before me is something that only You can restore.” BINGO! That is the answer that comes from a humble heart and acknowledges the Sovereign Power of God!    With that type of faith, God will move mountains on your behalf.

After Ezekiel answered, God told him to prophesy or to speak to the bones by a divine power... “All you dried up bones, LISTEN to the voice of God Almighty!” As Ezekiel repeated the word that God commanded him to say, he heard a loud noise...like thunder; a great rattling like an earthquake or the sound of chariots. Now, there are so many knowledge nuggets in this story but we are going to pause here and examine this one a bit more closely...

Verse 4 “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.” in this verse, “word” means … A Royal Mandate; an edict or a command/ declaration from a king/prince/authority requiring obedience. God's Word is a royal mandate...an edict...that requires the obedience from everything that is under His authority. Think about that for a moment...God has authority over ALL things, visible or invisible therefore all things are required to obey Him.

Verse 7 “So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a [thundering] noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.” The word “noise” is from an unused root word meaning “to call aloud” or “a voice”. The word used for “rattling” means noise or tumult (like that of chariots). 

Ezekiel described the noise he heard very similar to the way the voice of God has been described in other parts of the Bible. His voice is described as “...a loud noise...” “...a thundering, or thunders...” “...a sound of many waters...” which resembles the sound of chariots. As Ezekiel repeated the very words that God had given him...the loud noise began....God echoed the words Ezekiel spoke! The rumbling noise was the voice of God declaring His Royal Mandate which requires nothing less than swift obedience. As a result, the scattered bones gathered with the bones from the original skeleton and muscle formed on the skeletons and skin covered them. Essentially, that which was not became that which was spoken.

We will revisit the valley next week as there are so many wonderful things to be gleaned from this chapter. The nugget I would like y'all to examine this week is simply this...

His Word is a Royal Edict within His kingdom that requires obedience from all under His authority. He invites each of us to find His promises in His Word and speak them aloud so that He may echo your words in the sound of His voice just as He did with Ezekiel.

Do as Ezekiel did and pray...have a conversation with God; take a walk through His Word, allowing Him to humble your heart so that He will reveal a promise to speak aloud, declaring God's authority over your situation.

Pray – Humble yourself – Receive His Word – Declare His Word