I finished writing my last post about the Holy Spirit and thought, 'Ah, I can put my feet up.' Holy Spirit quickly told me that I needed to be fed (Spiritually) because hubby is going through a rough time and needs me." I thought, 'Okay,' so I opened up Spotify and found one of my favourite podcasts and looked for a title that spoke to me. I quickly found this one and started listening. “Before God Changes Your Situation, He Does This First”. It touched my spirit and soul and fed me so beautifully that I just had to share it with you. I spent much of the time listening to it, holding back tears. Tears of joy and relief.
We have all had hard seasons. We may be worn down, discouraged, whatever verb you like. You may find yourself praying and asking whether this hard season, or valley, as the speaker refers to it, will ever end. Will things ever change? Will I ever change?
Thankfully, as believers, we do know that things will eventually change because the Bible tells us that if it's not good yet, then He isn't done with you yet. But in the meantime, this episode touched a deep place in my soul.
God meets his people in dry places through His word and His Spirit.
Ezekiel 37:1-14
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 into 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.'" 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. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what Sovereign LORD says; come, breath, from the four winds and breath into those 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. 11 Then he said to me. 'Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, 'our bones are dried up and out hope is gone, we are cut off." 12 Therefore prophecy 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.""
The people of Israel had been in a valley for a long time, and everything felt hopeless. But God does not leave His people there. Right in the middle of the vision God gave Ezekiel, God asked him a question. V3. Son of man, can these bones live?" Ezekiel answered "Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
Before God would change their circumstances, he was changing their perspective and calling Ezekiel and the people of Israel to look to Him and not their circumstances. God knows that we are forgetful people and need regular reminders. He also knows that we are human and have a limited perspective. So God wants us to turn our eyes off of our circumstances and turn towards Him and allow Him to change our view point before He changes our circumstances.
Psalm 121:1-2 I lift up my eyes to the mountains -where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
It's easy to lose hope when we are more focused on our circumstances rather than on God. It's not easy, though; we have to remind ourselves daily when we are going through struggles. But when we lift our eyes to God, He reminds us of His unchanging character.
We see Ezekiel practicing changing his perspective in the passage from the valley to God and His unchanging character.
How about you and me, friend? Do we believe in God's unchanging character? Or do we need a little reminder? It's okay if we need a reminder from time to time. We are forgetful people, after all. We have to renew our minds and remind ourselves, myself especially, friend, that the God of the Bible who takes care of His people and kept His promises then is the same God we serve today. I think we often forget that the people in the Bible were regular people just like you and me and struggled with all the same things you and I struggle with today. Or at least similar things.
The speaker talks about how life in the valley becomes possible through the word of God and the Spirit of God. We see the power of God's word demonstrated when God tells Ezekiel to prophesy over the dry bones, telling them to come to life. Ezekiel didn't have any power in and of himself. But he was willing to be used by God, so God used him and demonstrated His power through Ezekiel.
Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
Psalm 119:25 I am laid low on the dust; preserve my life according to your word.
Psalm 119:50 my comfort in my suffering is this: you promise preserves my life.
Psalm 107:20 He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
Grab hold of God's word when you are in the valley, and set your eyes on Him who cares for you. The one who holds all things together. Read the word and meditate on it. Let it encourage you and remind you of God's unfading love and goodness. He may not restore your circumstances right away. But watch Him restore your viewpoint. Watch Him change your perspective.
Much of the time we think that in order for our situation to be fixed, He has to fix the circumstances. The truth is, though, that He doesn't have to. A) Because He is God and it's His creation, and therefore He can do whatever He pleases. He doesn't have to explain anything to us. But, more importantly, B) He knows that if He changes our perspective and we look to Him instead of whatever circumstances we are walking through, then the work of restoration has already begun. Plus, it teaches us to look to Him to fix things, and not ourselves. God often starts the restoration process in our hearts before He changes anything about our circumstances.
We also need God's Spirit, also known as the Holy Spirit, to help us along the way. In fact, we need the Holy Spirit just as much as we need the Word of God.
The speaker also made the connection between God breathing life into creation and into the dry bones in Ezekiel and encouraged us today that He is still the same life giving God that we get to serve as well.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
The speaker encouraged and reminded us that not only do we celebrate God's restoration after the valley is over, but it's something we can trust in the process. As hard as it may be, and it is hard. Instead of complaining and asking God to change the situation and get you out of the valley, try praying and asking Him what He wants to teach you in the valley. I'm a firm believer that the trials we go through here on earth are not only a testament to God's faithfulness but also a teaching point and encouragement to those around us. We can also thank Him in advance for the restoration that He will do down the road.
The miracle of Ezekiel is not only breathing life back into the bones, but it's also restoring His people back to Himself. Ultimately, our circumstances don't matter. Our relationship with God does. By no means am I saying it's easy, but it is worth it, and in time God will bring you through it, and you will be stronger for it.
As believers, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us and are called to walk by the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:4-5: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.
Galatians 5:16 so I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Romans 8:5-6 Those who love according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
So even when we are in the valley and life is just not going well or the way we expected. We need to remind ourselves that our hope is in Christ, and not on the things of this world. Again, easier said than done. We lift our eyes to God. We keep trusting, keep obeying, keep pressing in because we know that He is not done with us yet.
The only way we can get through the valley is by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The good times and the bad times are both invitations from God to us to have a deeper and more intimate relationship with Him. Plus, at the end of the valley, it's it better to be able to say that you clung to Jesus rather than walked away from your faith or blamed God? Personally, I want to be able to say at the end of the valley that I clung to Jesus with everything in me. That being said, I have definitely had my seasons of walking away, so to speak and getting mad at God for not taking care of the situation the way I wanted Him to. I have become a stronger believer since then and spend less time mad at Him when something doesn't go the way I want.
But I too needed this reminder when I hit play on that episode to look to God and not my circumstances. I pray this encouraged you today, friend.
God Bless
~Hannah
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