A Valley Full of Bones!

"Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for, because unless we stand for something we shall fall for anything." —Peter Marshall

There is nothing like a vivid word picture to drive home the life-changing truth of the Gospel. Right after God promised that He would give us new hearts and fill us with His Spirit, He gave Ezekiel a strange vision to bring this spiritual truth visually alive.

A valley full of bones—piles of them, dry and dead. Then God gives words to the prophet to speak over the bones before them:

"I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 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." —Ezekiel 37:5-6

Ezekiel spoke as commanded and tendons, flesh, and skin appeared on the bones. Then God told Ezekiel to speak again over the lifeless corpses:

"Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army. —Ezekiel 37:9-10

What a picture! Is there any question why Paul would include the Gospel of peace as a critical element of spiritual armor? Is there any question why Satan would want to get us to minimalize this aspect of the Good News?

You get the picture: a vast army, once dead, now being brought to life… a vision of the new covenant where we are given a new heart, we become a new creation, and God in His infinite grace places Himself, by His Spirit, into us so that we can enjoy the presence of Him forever.

This, my friends, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the truth that Paul tells us to stand firm upon.

Dear God, will You give me a clear picture of this vision as well? Open my eyes! Allow me to see that we are a vast army of formerly dead bones, brought to life through forgiveness and the filling of the Holy Spirit, now strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, protected by the full armor of God, taking our stand against the devil's schemes. Amen.