The Spirit of the Lord said to the Prophet Ezekiel: “Speak to these dry bones. Tell them the Lord says: ‘Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!’”
Ezekiel 37:4-5
Notes for Contemplation as You Use this Devotional:
- This passage from the Visionary Prophet Ezekiel comes from the section often titled “The Valley of Dry Bones.” It is a mystical resurrection story that describes how the Spirit of the Lord, Holy Spirit, revitalizes and empowers what already seems dead.
- Whenever a prophet appears, you’re encouraged to view your life from a new perspective. Ezekiel, as one of God’s messengers, is instrumental in the revival process. He’s instructed to speak the word of God to the dry bones that represent deadened energy. In declaring what can be, he offers a fresh outlook and a hopeful future.
- The spiritual power, divine life energy, within you comes from God (Higher Power, Supreme Being, etc.), but you determine how you’ll use it. So, Spirit calls you—and everyone—to live a whole, complete life, not just one aspect, like your job, your children, or your home. This call can be renewed continually so you are fully engaged in what’s best for you and don’t remain stuck in a dead past.
- Everyone is filled with divine life energy, but God can’t make you use your energy in fulfilling ways any more than God can drop a fortune in your lap. You must use the divine life energy you’ve been given as an active participant, discerning what is vitalizing and empowering for you.
- Demonstration is your evidence of how well your life works. To be an active participant in your life means that you aren’t passively allowing others to determine your fate or waiting for someone else to lead. You set intentions for yourself. You decide the direction you want your journey to take.
- Your intuition always guides you in knowing what energizes and enlivens you. If you trust your intuition and follow its guidance, even when it doesn’t make complete, logical sense, you are following the path of new, revitalized life. But if you continually analyze, seek answers outside yourself, doubt God’s essence within you, or do the same things repeatedly and expect different results, you’re just rearranging dry bones.
Contemplation Questions:
Ask yourself:
- In what ways have I been wasting my divine life energy on what no longer serves me?
- List, word map, or illustrate how you use your energy.
- In what ways is new life—renewed energy—being given to me?
- List, word map, or illustrate all the ways.
- What are at least three (3) ways I can use my divine life energy to live what is best for me now?
- List, word map, or illustrate as much as you can imagine.
As you use this devotional, remember to gauge your energy, not your time. If something is life-affirming for you, you can go for hours without looking at the clock. But if it’s deadening, ten minutes can be an eternity. Trust your intuition to guide you as you discern what needs to be left for dead and what you can resurrect.
© 2024 – Rev. Jennifer L. Sacks – All rights reserved.
Photo from Shutterstock by apiguide.
Recent Comments