Sometimes it easier to believe it’s over than to believe that dry bones can live again.
I’ve been on a deep journey this week. God has illuminated a lot of reflective moments and space for me. Scouring my phone notes as I often do looking to glean a bit of inspiration, I came across the above sentence. Just a single line left in its own solitary folder with no other mention of why it seemed significant for me to jot down on 11/11/19.
Thinking back to that time in life it’s easy to imagine some significance. I was almost one year into the beginning of a new big stage of life. Divorced, mentally and emotionally shattered (again), healing from another situation that required metal to join permanently with my skeletal frame (again), while leaving my entire life up to that point along with all my future hopes and dreams with my ex-spouse and a son who would be mine no more, and creating some new version of life in a different home.
The work I needed to do within myself had been avoided and the cost of that avoidance had come to collect pay. Too late I realized. This note “sometimes it is easier to believe it is over than to believe that dry bones can live again” was one year into me earnestly seeking this growth and changing the way I walked through life; choosing to surrender and accountability.
The Bible has no shortage of illustrations bones and their quality throughout its texts.
Metaphors of Bones in Scripture
Biblically, bones often carry metaphorical significance, representing various emotional and mental states. The imagery of bones often signifies strength, endurance, and the core of one’s being. They represent feeling of being “broken”, strength and stability, and the idea of resurrection and restoration. These metaphors elucidate the depth of the human experience and the promises of God’s faithfulness and restoration.
Dry, Rotten, Shaking, Burning Bones
One common theme in the Bible is the idea of dry bones. Dryness symbolizes desolation, hopelessness, and spiritual death. In the book of Ezekiel, there's a powerful vision where God shows the prophet a valley filled with dry bones. Ezekiel 37:1-14 tells the story:
This vision is a profound reminder of God's power to restore life to what seems utterly dead and hopeless. The dry bones represent the people of Israel, exiled and feeling abandoned. Yet, God promises them renewal and restoration.
Proverbs 12:4 and Proverbs 14:30 speak of the "rottenness of the bones," signifying deep emotional pain. The concept of “rottenness of the bones” in these verses goes beyond just physical decay; it speaks to the emotional and spiritual anguish that can eat away at a person from inside out. It specifically names shame or betrayal from a loved one and its deep, gnawing insidious effect on emotions and core self concept. A wife (spouse) who brings shame and confusion to her husband is described as "rottenness in his bones," symbolizing the profound inner distress. Similarly, envy and jealousy are compared to rottenness, causing corrosion to our soul.
The imagery of rottenness conveys the idea that these emotions can fester and spread, causing greater harm the longer they are allowed to linger. In a broader sense, it serves as a warning against allowing negative emotions to take root and grow within us.
Inner turmoil and distress are depicted in images of bones trembling or burning from within. Job 4:14 describes the "shaking of the bones" to express fear and dejection, while in Jeremiah 23:9, it denotes a state of brokenheartedness. The "bones burning with heat," as seen in Job 30:30, illustrates intense grief and depression; complete darkness. This metaphor recurs in Psalm 102:3 and Lamentations 1:13, where it represents deep sorrow and loneliness. Jeremiah 20:9 uses it to depict the overwhelming urge to speak God's message, despite the prophet's attempts to hold back; the depression of it would burn uncontrollably within his bones. There is a deep spiritual unrest that comes with these emotions can manifests in a fleshly understanding. We feel it in our frame of being, physically and spiritually.
Wetness, Unity, and Affection
In contrast to the dryness of bones, which symbolizes emotional and spiritual depletion, the idea of bones being “wet” or “moist” signifies vitality, health, and sense fo being alive and well. This imagery is rooted in the biblical understanding that moisture brings life and sustenance, much life the marrow within bones that nourishes and strengthens them. When our bones are spiritually “wet”, we are filled with the life giving presence of God, the living water breathed into our bones. This wetness represents a state of renewal and flourishing, where we are not merely surviving but thriving in the fullness of God’s grace and love.
The phrase "bone of my bones" (Genesis 2:23) symbolizes the closest human relationship and mutual affection, as seen in the union of Adam and Eve. This phrase conveys a sense of belonging, mutual support, and love that are fundamental to human relationships.
This expression also signifies the shared nature and deep connection among people, exemplified in 2 Samuel 5:1. “Behold, we are your bone and flesh”, describes the unity and connection among the tribes of Israel; the collective identity shared with us all. It is a bond that transcends individual differences and unites them as one community with a common purpose and destiny.
Similarly, in Ephesians 5:30 describes the intimate relationship between Christ and the church, portraying a spiritual connection that is akin to the union between husband and wife. The original text version of this verse included “of his flesh, and of his bones”, which were later omitted in the Revised Version. It emphasizes the spiritual unity and oneness that believers share with Christ, highlighting the depth of love and commitment that characterizes this relationship.
Personal Reflection
They say you don’t know what you're missing until you find it. In my own life, I didn’t feel the lightness of my tissues until a spiritual baptism came upon me. Deep personal failure and fractures in my relationships seemed to crush me, leaving me hollow and depleted. During this “awakening” I experienced days of groaning on my belly, grieving what was actually this missing in my life; the living waters, the breath of life that I had not accepted and kept myself parched and rotting away.
I had spent five months fighting for my marriage, my family, my home and belongings all while slamming into the reality that God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness had never abandoned me and facing the realty that it was me, not He, that had kept myself unwell. I was simultaneously going through complete and utter heartbreak while also finding myself alive for the first time in, maybe, ever heavy with the mercy and love of my Creator. The duality of life, ever-present. Nothing else mattered at that time. I surrendered my life, opened my eyes, and committed my self happily to finding all that had been lost or stolen; half determined to save my marriage and fully aware that cost may be the loss of what had been entrusted to me that I (we) had squandered.
As my reality shifted all I could do was take in the Father. I spent hours upon hours ingesting scriptures, praying and mediating, and actively seeking to uncover and heal all the trauma that had been swept under my rug my entire life. I found therapy and mentors, friends and a church family, and new beliefs that I was worthy, loved, and sanctified just because I existed. There was nothing I had to do or had to get right first, I just was. No jury sat waiting to sentence me, no person had to be convinced or give permission for my forgiveness; life was fully mine for the taking and I had accepted it in its full weight and glory. Heavy with love, life, and gratefulness.
In May of 2019 after a whirlwind had blindsided me and annihilated the life I had known, I found myself divorced with a stack of papers decreeing that all I owned and a half more had dates in which my ownership had to be forfeited by. On July 2nd, days before I was to pack what was left and move across town I shattered my collar bone in a biking accident. The metaphor came to full expression; a wondrous gift known only to myself, my God, and a few close friends. The end and a beginning; even when we find ourselves dry, rotten, trembling, and burning inside, bones can be transformed. New life can wash through us and marrow can be renewed with faith as our guiding light.
In the end, reconciliation of my marriage did not come but reconciliation of my Sprirt to God’s will began to reemerge. I felt the fullness of my life, the value of it against everything the world or satan had led me to believe. I lost…a lot..but I gained what cannot be taken from me, ever.
Encouragement
God’s understanding and empathy for our emotions are evident throughout the Bible. He is present and willing to provide solace and comfort. We can bring our true feelings to God and know that He already understands and accepts us as we are. Just as God provided for and sustained the Israelites through their wilderness He gives us strength and guidance to navigate the difficulties we face. He specializes in bringing the dead back to life. Seek His unfailing love and grace and lean on Him to breathe new life into the pain and struggles just as he breathed life into the dry bones on Ezekiel’s vision.
Sometimes it’s easier to believe it’s over than to believe that dry bones can live again. Choose to believe in God's power to restore and renew. Prophesy to dry bones, speak life into the dead areas, and trust that God will make them live again.
Take time to meditate on these passages and consider how they resonate with your own experiences. Remember, you are not alone in your struggles, and God's promise of restoration is ever-present.
Extras
In addition to Ezekiel 37, there are other verses that speak to God's power to renew and restore:
- **Isaiah 40:31:** "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
- **Romans 8:11:** "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."
- **Joel 2:25:** "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you."
-**John 19:36:** “ For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.