Dry Bones

I love the story in Ezekiel 37 of the Valley of Dry Bones... how God speaks to the bones:

"Watch this: I’m bringing the breath of life to you and you’ll come to life. I’ll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You'll come alive and realise that I am God!"  (vs 5-6, Message version)

Some months ago I was reflecting on the story and how God choses to re-build bit by bit, layer on layer. It's not an instant all-at-once thing. God has an order of doing things so that the bones are truly made whole from the inside out. God's not in the business of surface restoration.

For too long we laid

drained and dry

beneath the scorching sun

as if the heat could bring life

to our fragile broken bones.

For too long waited

in the desert place

observing the desolation

and hoping we’d have the strength

to somehow hold together.

For too long

silent.

But you spoke,

whispered truth to the winds

shook the foundations

of all we knew

and promised to rebuild.

Bit by bit

layer upon layer

tendons, fresh and skin

unhurried in the re-construction

you ordered the scattered parts

of who we were

to make us who we are

standing whole again.

And then you

breathed on us

and we,

inhaling the fresh air

of new possibilities,

came to life.