Ever found yourself facing a relationship that seems hopelessly broken?
Yeah, me too.
I want to share a Scripture with you to give you hope that GOD is able to heal your broken relationship.
In Ezekiel 37, GOD showed the prophet Ezekiel a vision.
Now, if you’re like me, you have trouble keeping all the prophets straight in your mind as to when they lived and who they prophesied to, so I’ll remind you. Ezekiel lived during the same time as Daniel and Jeremiah. He was carried to Babylon in 597 B.C. and lived in Tel Abib.
GOD called Ezekiel to be His prophet to the Israelite captives there. They were captive because they had refused to repent of their idolatry and wickedness until GOD sent Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and punish His people. (You can read about GOD’s dealings with Ezekiel beginning here.)
As you might imagine, the Israelites living in Babylon were very depressed because of their suffering.
A major theme of Ezekiel’s prophecies is GOD’s promises to bless His people in the future and a reminder for them to return to Him.
In Ezekiel 37, GOD gives Ezekiel a vision of what He would do for His children.
Ezekiel wrote:
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.’”
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 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.
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.’”
(Eze. 37:1-14 NIV)
Now, this primary purpose of this vision has nothing to do with your specific relationship.
Sorry.
In fact, it concerns GOD’s relationship with His people and the resurrection of the dead.
But when we look closer, we can draw several great lessons and tremendous hope from this vision regarding our broken relationships.
Dry bones are our dead relationship.
There is no life in them.
GOD knows exactly where the dry bones are. He cares about the pain and despair you feel.
GOD has made a “career” out of solving the impossible—taking the lifeless skeletons and transforming them, breathing new life in them. Remember how GOD created man in the first place:
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
(Gen. 2:7 NIV)
If GOD can breath life into dust, fixing your broken relationship is certainly within His skill set.
Have faith.
Pray for GOD to be mindful of your broken relationship and breathe new life into it.
Humble yourself.
Be willing to take the first step.
Don’t doubt.
GOD loves you and He is for you.
Leave a Reply