Tendons, Hope and Bones

“1 The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.“4 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 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: 1-6 NIV

This passage may be familiar to many, it's the story of Ezekiel and the Valley of the Dry Bones. There are so many amazing things that go on after this section of scripture. God goes on to do exactly what He tells Ezekiel He will do. It’s not the power that God gave Ezekiel to speak life into the dead bones nor was it Ezekiel's faith to actually do i but In my most recent reading of the passage, I am most enthralled with the fact that God didn't just bring the dry bones to life, but that he brought them together as well.

“7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.”

Ezekiel 37: 7-8 NIV

The bones went from not being attached initially to God making them come together intentionally. God used the Vision of the Valley of the Dry Bones as a representation of Israel at the time. They were far from God and the people were in ruins. I may not be far from God (Hallelujah for Jesus, resurrection, repentance, and grace!), but my life still looks alot like the people of Israel at that time. It looks alot like ruins; or at least it feels - ruined.

My final semester in college.. ruined.

Getting to go to my last Spring Banquet… ruined

Getting the chance to walk across the stage on the day I've looked forward to for years...

Ruined.

Not just those events, but so many other personal things I had planned and hoped for were either canceled or postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic and closures. Some days it's a devastating disappointment, but this passage gives me a new hope. It gives me hope for all the things I had hoped for but didn't go as planned or had to be postponed.

“9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 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 NIV

God showed Ezekiel the bones coming together as a representation of the new life He would bring to the people of Israel through His Spirit. I believe His promise to them then can apply to me today. I have hope that even though my life as a college student has technically ended God would take the parts of it that look like ruins and bring new life to them. The same God who was detailed enough to put each bone where it belongs, cause the tendons and skin to grow, then put his breath into those bodies so they can live can do so in every aspect of my life. I believe That everything will come together in time, I will grow in my faith and continue to live a full life in Christ.

“11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”

Ezekiel 37: 11-14 NIV

As believers we have the Spirit of the Living God within us and we can stand firm knowing that our hope can remain despite this rough time. We get to take comfort in the fact that God has the power and the desire to make all things work together for our good. He pieces together each part of our lives and He brings life to the ruins and ruined things all with exceptional detail. We can rest in Him because despite our current state, All will be well :)

Written By: Ma'Kayla Washington

( The mosaic I chose for the photo has a similar story in scripture and my life. It was made in 2016 by NSU students and faculty as well as several dozen students from NSU Elementary Lab, NSU Middle Lab, Natchitoches Magnet, LSMSA and BPCC to manufacture tiles and install the finished work depicting the beauty of the NSU campus with tile, glass and recycled materials. All things that were broken old, even trash pieced together and given a whole new life.)

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the NSU BCM but are solely those of the author(s).