A Fresh Wind
Pastor Eric Chan
“11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.””
This is a familiar passage from Ezekiel chapter 37, where God brought the prophet Ezekiel to see a valley of dry bones. In this vision, God commanded him to prophesy over the dry bones. As the prophet spoke, the wind of God’s Spirit touched the bones. They came to life; their flesh was restored and a great army emerged from this scene of death.
God explained to Ezekiel in verses 11-14 that the bones represented the nation of Israel. Israel had forsaken Yahweh for other gods and was exiled to Babylon as a result. As a nation, their hopes and dreams were dashed and they were now under the rule of the Babylonian empire.
However, that was not the end of the story. The meaning of this vision is quite clear: God would eventually restore Israel and bring her back to her land. Hope would be restored. There would be a national “resurrection” of sorts, during which what was dead would be brought back to life as God’s Spirit breathed on them.
Many biblical scholars believe we have yet to see the complete fulfilment of this prophecy, but we see a partial fulfilment of this at the cross of Christ. Matthew, who had the Jewish people in mind when he wrote his gospel account, records an unusual event that happened when Jesus died:
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Matthew 27:52-53
52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
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Jesus’ death brought resurrection life to others. The graves of the dead were opened and the dead saints here were raised with new life. We can reasonably assume that they received new or renewed bodies. These saints “went into the holy city” and walked the streets there – much like how Ezekiel prophesied that God would bring His people back “into the land of Israel” (Ezek. 37:12). We serve a God who does wondrous things!
The Kindness & Mercy of God
Besides reading this passage prophetically and historically, we should also recognise the kindness and mercy of God revealed here.
Israel’s story is like many of our stories. We have all fallen short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23). The best among us have, at times, fallen into sin and temptation. Like Israel, many of us have tried to live life apart from a daily dependence upon God. Many of us have followed after modern or self-made gods of pride, success and earthly significance – sometimes even using the name of Christ to justify those efforts. Like Israel, we sometimes end up experiencing seasons of struggle, defeat and even feelings of hopelessness.
One of the reasons God led Israel through the wilderness was so that they would learn to trust Him and put Him at the center of their lives. God was to be their focus and desire, and not any other thing – not the manna, not the military victories and not any other idol.
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One of the reasons God led Israel through the wilderness was so that they would learn to trust Him and put Him at the center of their lives.
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In the same way, God often allows His people today to experience wilderness experiences that expose weaknesses in our souls and reveal the true condition of our hearts. Though uncomfortable, we can take heart that God does this for our good.
In recent months, I’ve talked to different ones in our community who have experienced loss, defeat and even feelings of hopelessness. Some are just getting out of seasons of brokenness or disillusionment. Others have begun to realise that they were presumptuously pursuing goals and ambitions that were not biblical in the first place.
It would be quite sad if things ended here. But we can see from Ezekiel’s encounter that it need not be so. God, in His kindness and mercy, is able to bring new life from dead and broken places. He can restore our hope and fulfil His promises.
And as we respond rightly to God’s work in our lives, our perspectives are renewed and God becomes our focus and desire. As our motivations are purified, we become better stewards of what God may give us.
This has been the experience of many saints in years gone by. The great writer and preacher A.W. Tozer once wrote: “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.” John Wimber, the church planter and founder of the Vineyard movement, said: “I don’t trust leaders who don’t walk with a limp.” Both these men understood that trustworthy stewards and leaders are usually those who have been humbled by God.
A Fresh Wind
I believe a fresh wind of God’s Spirit is beginning to blow upon our church community and members. We have initiated several new community groups (CGs) in the past month. There have been changes in our worship ministry and we are expanding our media ministry.
I believe many who have experienced disillusionment and disappointment in former seasons will find renewed hope and purpose as they align themselves with God and what He is doing in our midst. Many whom God will use in this next season will not come from a position of triumphalism or pride in their giftedness or earthly resumés, but those who have humbled themselves before the Lord.
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I believe many who have experienced disillusionment and disappointment in former seasons will find renewed hope and purpose as they align themselves with God and what He is doing in our midst.
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Let us remember that the main issue isn’t about growth or expansion, just as Israel was not meant to focus on her military victories or getting a good harvest. It is about God, His glory and His purposes – that we would put Him as the central focus of all that we do as a church.
Amid the changes, let us keep our eyes on the Lord. Give your support and pray for our new community groups and our various ministries. If you have gone through difficulty and disappointment, believe and ask God for a fresh wind of His Spirit in your life: “And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord” (Ezek. 37:14).