A new thing in old places
Prophetic word:
“The tide is turning
ABBA
Behold – Something new awaits you
Something you have never seen, or heard before
Familiar in presentation, but below the surface, it’s entirely different
The journey might look the same, and the steps headed in a direction that is frustratingly familiar
But look again, see with eyes of faith
With views from heaven –
Behold I am doing a new thing”
The word new in the bible refers to one of two greek words.
- kainos – fresh
- neos – new or recent
The Word I expected the holy spirit to point me to – Isaiah 43:
I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King.16 I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea.17 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses.I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.
Isaiah 43:15-19
18 “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
A passage drenched in hope. A passage that reminds of who God is – I am the Lord, your Holy One. Creator. King. Instead, I was led to Ezekial 37: The valley of dry bones.
The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. 2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. 3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”
“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”
Ezekial 37:3-10
4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” 7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’” 10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.
CONTEXT
Before we can discuss the vision itself, we have to understand all that preceded chapter 37, especially Ezekiel 36. In the previous chapter, Ezekiel proclaims a blessing to all of Israel, that they will produce fruit, even though now they are in desolation. That they will re-inhabit their towns and see their ruins rebuilt.
During the time of Ezekiel, the Babylonians laid waste to Israel. This is the time of the story of Daniel and the lions den. The temple had been destroyed and laid to waste.
They were scattered so the promise simply seemed impossible. This passage is drenched in imagery of lows. Unimaginable lows.
Valleys
The prophet Ezekiel is taken to a valley. Valleys, while beautiful are symbolic of narrow places
- Places of hopelessness
- Obscure places
- Lost places
Did you know, the human body takes anything from 50 to 80 years to become dry bones. That means those bones would have been dead for a pretty long time. And while raising anyone from the dead regardless of how long they’ve been dead is pretty awesome, bring 50 to 80 year old bones to life, is a absolutely insane in the way of miracles.
Not only is it a valley, it is inundated with death and destruction. “The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. 2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out.
Think about your own life: What is dead, dried out and hopeless for you in this season? We’re a little while away from the pandemic but our hearts may still hurt, and we’re likely still tired and maybe even a little hopeless given all that’s happened since. Sure, there has been blessing and breakthrough, but there has been so much grief, loss, disappointment, stagnation and frustration.
- Is it the hope of the salvation of a friend, that simply isn’t taking shape?
- Is it finances and opportunities for financial breakthrough?
- Is it your faith and revelation of Jesus?
- Maybe it’s physical or mental health that just seems to be getting worse despite every effort to pray or seek help?
- Maybe you’ve been believing for the healing of a loved one, and instead they passed on?
- Maybe you’ve been hoping for the restoration of a relationship and instead they’ve gone further away.
Great disgrace.
These bodies were disgraced. In the context of the time, to bury a body uncovered was a disgrace to the body and its family. So a valley of uncovered bones a valley of shame and disgrace.
My testimony: I won’t pretend to know what you’re year or passed two years have looked like. But I know I’ve been in some dark places, where I’ve wondered if I’d ever come back.
When I was 16 I was sexually assaulted, and again at 17. I started self-harming to deal with the pain, and had swallowed a cocktail of tablets to try and numb the pain. That happened a few times. Before I knew it, I was sent to a rehabilitation centre for major depression. I struggled with self harm and suicidal attempts for a few years after that, and I remember wondering if I would live to turn 21. I wondered if I’d ever experience joy again I remember sobbing on my 21st birthday in sheer disbelief that I was still here. More recently, I lost my little sister to suicide after her struggle with self-harm, and depression. And I find my self asking the same questions. But, I’m still standing. He is still God, and He remains good.
I don’t know what your valley of dry bones is, but I know, that I know, that I know we serve the God of the impossible. The God of the resurrection power. A God who breathes life into barren places.
I wondered, of all the passages of scripture that speak to God doing a new thing, why He would lead us here first. I think God led me to this passage to speak about this new thing He’s doing in this season to point to the notion of familiarity.
See, in Genesis 2:7 we see the breath of God first breathed into man. So this miracle isn’t entirely new.
Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
Genesis 2:7
The situation might be different but God, He’s still the same God. He is still almighty and His power is still at work. And with him, the unlikely, improbable and impossible are made possible. He did it for Adam and he can, and will do it again for you.
But here’s the thing about God doing a new thing, there’s a passage of time, called transition between the old and the new. There are 10 verses between the Prophet seeing the valley of dry bones in verses 1 & 2, and the army in verse 10. There’s also the awkward moment in verse 7 where they have flesh and bones, but no breath. There were 30 years between David being anointed as king, and taking up his mantle as king. 17 years between Joseph’s dreams as a boy and the fulfilment thereof.
More often than not, it got worse before it got better. In this scripture, even through the phases of transition, the scene remains in the valley of dry bones.
What does your in-between look like? Here in this valley of your life, what is God whispering to you about that simply feels unlikely because of what you can see with your natural eye?
- Perhaps God is calling you to be the first to break generational curses in your family, but it seems impossible because you struggle with the same issues?
- Maybe you’re believing for the promise of love and marriageand family but in this season, you feel invisible. Like no one sees you and that it’s never going to happen for you.
- Perhaps you’re in school and you know there’s something on your life and your called but the pressure of friends and academics keeps you feeling like you’re worthless, and you’ll never amount to anything.
Much of the faith walk is the tension of transition. The overwhelming, messy distance between what was, and what is to come. An often lonely, and disorientating place. The frustration of sensing and foretasting in the spirit that which God is unveiling, but opening your eyes to continue to see a valley of dry bones.
Transition:
- The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.
- a period or phase in which such a change or shift is happening
- comes from a Latin word “transire,” which means to go across
- Often refers to the process, not the end result. Thus, “transitioning” is the act of making a change, of going from one set of characteristics or circumstances to another. It may not be instantaneous; more often, a series of steps or phases will be involved.
- Transitions are usually made up of the stages:
- An ending
- A messy, unclear middle
- A beginning
Toolkit for transition: Ways to help you navigate the transition
Between the promise and where it comes to pass
- Remember well
This passage can seem gloomy and hopeless if you are unfamiliar with the story of Creation. We know that God breathed life into the dust that came to form Adam, so we know the same creator God who did it at the beginning of time can, and will do it again.
In Isaiah 43, the word reminds us of what he’s done and who he is – how God rescued the Israelites from their enemies BEFORE speaking into what he’s about to do. The commentaries say that the valley of dry bones are symbolic of the spiritual state of the children of Israel. Dead, broken, beaten.
-“This is what the Lord says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again”
Deuteronomy 6:12 – …be careful not to forget the Lord, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt
Psalm 143:5 – I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.
- What do you need to remind yourself about the God you serve, in the middle of your transition?
- What testimonies do you need the holy spirit to bring to remembrance to ignite faith and hope again?
- Maybe you need to ask the holy spirit to restore to you the joy of your first salvation.
- Maybe you need to recall the time you first encountered Jesus. The love that overwhelmed you as he called you by name and welcomed you home. The moment you realized he is real.
- Maybe you need to remember the promises he gave to you uniquely – To read them again.
See the journey to the promise is often designed to stretch our faith and refine us. To purify our desires and give us God’s desires. Be sure to remember well and to remember again.
2. Surrender
The opening line sees the prophet carried away to this scene. I believe this was done to create a distance for perspective. He’d been in the thick of things warning the children of Israel and then watching as it all came crumbling down.
My favourite image of surrender is learning how to swim as an adult. It’s the weighty wrestle between what you know and what seems counter-intuitive. See the thing is with buoyancy, you’re likely to sink a little before you float to the surface. And if you struggle or breathe shallow you don’t have the air needed to float so you sink. The very instinct to fight or struggle literally hinderes the very thing you aim to achieve. But when you relax, and let go, which feels impossible because of the momentary initial sinking, you float.
Surrender – To let go of, to give away,
hupeikó: to retire, withdraw, submit
paradidómi: to hand over, to give or deliver over, to betray
To surrender is to empty ourselves of ourselves, and to be filled with God as he presents today. To let go, surrender is to release that which you are holding onto and familiar with, to say yes to the more that God wants to offer you. To surrender is to submit ourselves – body, mind and spirit to the Lordship of Jesus. To acknowledge and live with the revelation, that the Kingdom of God is exactly that – A kingdom, and not a democracy. Where God’s word is not suggestions and guidelines, but instructions and life giving commands.
It’s to let go of what we think we know as said in the prophetic word God gave me, to make room for what God wants to deposit in our spirit. Yes, we ought to remember well, which points us to the character and person of Jesus, the WHO, but we ought to hold how he’ll breakthrough loosely, and not get attached to the HOW.
When the spirit of the Lord asks the prophet, can these bones become living people again, I believe it’s an invitation to evaluate what we believe to be possible and true of God, and to make room for God to redefine impossible.
An invitation to rediscover the awe, the wonder, and to make room in our limited theology of the happy meal Jesus we have come to know.
Jeremiah 10:23 LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Matthew 16: 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
- What residue of this past season and its experiences do you need to surrender?
- Is it disappointment? Anger? Worry? Fear? Hopelessness? Unbelief? Indecision? Labels? Jobs? Titles? Relationships?
- What versions of yourself have you come to define yourself by, that on your journey need to be surrendered?
3. Realign your beliefs with the word of God
I believe when the prophet is asked can these bones become living people again, he is invited to submit his beliefs to who God is and not what the situation predicates. His response – “you alone know the answer to that” is his acknowledgement of the nature of God as the almighty, all-knowing. The one-true living God. The great I am. The prince of peace.
To navigate this place here in the middle we need to realign our beliefs with the word of God and not our experiences.
Remind your flesh who God is.
1 Corinthians 10:13 And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Matthew 19:26 – Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.
Deuteronomy 31:6 – So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
The word of God is sharper than a two edged sword. A mirror that shows us who we are and reminds who we’re called to be. Meditate on the word of God so he’s truth finds home in your heart and your mind is renewed as you are changed.
4. Prophecy over your situation
- We all have access to the holy spirit who enables the gifts of the spirit in us.
- For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged ([1 Corinthians 14:31]
- It does not have to be weird and creepy. The holy spirit gives you promptings and nudgings of wisdom and insight to speak over yourself and people. Ours is simply to trust and obey.
- 1 Corinthians 12:10 …to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in various tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
- Let go of the need to be right and let the holy spirit guide you:
- Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 1 Corinthians 13:9
- Speak the promised God has spoken over you and over your life. – In this passage, we see the spirit of God give the prophet the words to speak to breath life into the dry bones. Listen for the whispers and declarations from Heaven and with the power and authority made available to you, prophesy over your life.
- Prophesy over your family.
- Prophesy over your health
- Over your nation
I don’t know how much will change in these coming months. Much of it might look very much the same on the surface. Lockdowns, and the pandemic. Loss and grief. Isolation and obscurity. But what I know is God is doing a new thing. He’s spoken a promise over his people. But between the promise and the evidence thereof, I pray we find strength, faith and hope to believe again. To trust again. To prophesy again.
Recap:
I believe that God is readying his people for a new thing
I believe he is helping us to navigate the tension of the transition by calling us to:
- Remember well
- Surrender
- Align our beliefs with the word of God
- Prophecy
Liz Skosana & The Oratory Team