He Will Not Be Outdone

I will put my spirit in you that you may live [ . . . ] I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD. // Ezekiel 37:14

Road tripping with my three kids a few summers ago, we listened to the entire Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the four main character children are nervous to meet Aslan, the great Lion who represents Jesus throughout the allegory. One of them asks whether Aslan is quite safe. The incredulous answer comes back from their companion: “'Course he isn't safe. But he's good.”

Sometimes the imagery in the Bible is so familiar that I catch myself glossing over it, not thinking about what it would really be like. In today’s First Reading (see Ezekiel 37:1-14), God placed Ezekiel in a field of dry bones, spreading in every direction as far as his eyes could see. Imagine what it felt like to walk there, how unsteady and uncomfortable and horrifying it would be to tread on the bones of others.

Now imagine the Lord has told you to prophesy and bring them back to life. The bones arise all around you, thousands of them, clattering together in a macabre cacophony before being covered with sinew and flesh. The sensory experience would be overwhelming. Can you imagine the smells? The chilling sight of hundreds of living bodies without souls? Ezekiel (in a vision, but still!) was basically surrounded by zombies. 

And what is his stance towards the Lord? He waits as if saying, What next, Lord? What should I do next?

Here’s my point: we expect healing to be tidy. We hope God’s plan will unfold in a predictable, measured way. But sometimes His way is noisy, messy, smelly. He asks us to obey Him one bizarre and horrifying step at a time. And when we continue to say yes, no matter how shocking the assignment, God works. 

God will always outdo us in faithfulness. Ezekiel went from a field of dry bones to hope for an entire nation. Do you doubt that God can redeem the dry bones in your life? Keep walking forward in obedience and brace yourself: He may not always feel safe, but He is good.