“…Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be thou removed…'” (Mark 11:23, “…say unto them, ‘O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.'” Ezekiel 37:4
Dear Ones:
Throughout Scripture we find individuals of faith asking God to reveal to them His ways, for they have discovered that “His ways are not our ways.” God does not put Himself in a box, a set of thoughts of man’s devising, which is controlled, or manipulated by the desires and reasoning of sinful man. On the contrary, with the revelation of the truth of God IN Jesus Christ, man is brought out of his little box, “his ways and thoughts” into the FREE AIR of the kingdom and reign of Christ. So then, what are His ways that He would have us to understand and grasp, so that He can do what He desires and wills to do in and through us, even to the moving of mountains, and the bringing to life dead bones?
When Ezekiel was faced with this vision of this open valley (most certainly an extensive one), he was faced with a terrible sight, for it was full of very dry bones. The Lord would later reveal to him that the physical picture is reflective of the present mentality, thinking, of the people of Israel: “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off (…from the blessing and favor of God) on our part.” (v.11) It is a hopeless situation, not only with regard to future “hope,” but also, present blessing. There is no faith. So, the Lord asks Ezekiel: “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel, being the wise and practical man that he is will respond: “O Lord God, Thou knowest.” What does this reveal to us concerning the ways of God in dealing with us? First of all, God always speaks the truth about a situation, albeit always in love. He finds in Ezekiel a man who is willing to face reality. That reality is this: humanly speaking, there is absolutely NO way that the bones will live. This is the first thing…WE CANNOT do the work of God. However, the second thing is found in Ezekiel’s response, for he realizes that it all depends upon God, His intervention according to His will. Where we CANNOT, God CAN. Thus, the Lord tells Ezekiel to speak to the bones, and to the wind, and there is life.
In Mark’s gospel, Jesus speaks of moving mountains. He prefaces this subject by declaring that all consideration of the subject begins with “…having faith in God.” The man or woman who would move mountains, according to the “desires” of his or her heart, is that one who KNOWS that he cannot do it in and of himself, but God can, and will do it, according to the will and purpose of God. The command to speak to the mountain is the result of God working in the heart, bringing the believer to a knowledge of His will. With the knowledge of His will, and the faith to believe, comes the faith to pray with assurance. Mountains and dry bones are nothing to God. All becomes possible as we pray according to His desire and will, and this will can be known if we decisively trust Him for it.
Dear Father, teach us Thy ways concerning things great and small. With the knowledge of Thy will, strengthen our hearts to believe Thee to do all that is in Thy heart in and through us for Thy glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad