Waiting On God A Lesson From Ezekiel

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD." {Ezekiel 37: 1-6}

I have friends who have been in prison ministry for many years. They believed that God spoke to their hearts and told them to rent a house and start a ministry for men getting out of prison. These men would live in the house, be embraced by the church, have a system of accountability and support, get help learning skills they lacked like cooking and such, and aid the process of looking for and landing a job. They would stay in the house until they were ready to get their own place.
It is difficult for an ex-offender to get employment, even if they are not the person they were when they were convicted. Many end up back in prison simply because they cannot get a break outside of prison. My friends were positive they were called to start this ministry. But they had to wait years before things were in place for it to happen. Did they believe it could? Yes. Did they believe it would? Some days doubt crept in, but they trusted God for His timing.

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. {Ezekiel 37: 7-8}

God spoke, but nothing happened until Ezekiel acted in faith and obeyed. Sometimes we have to wait on God for a time. When Ezekiel prophesied as the Lord commanded, things started to happen, beginning with the bones rattling. Now I don’t know if this all happened in the blink of an eye, or if it took some time, because several things had to happen.
I think we can read the Bible in a few minutes what spanned days and years and lifetimes and don’t appreciate the time involved in the event. I’m just guessing this process took some doing. When the bones rattled, it might not even have seemed like much was happening.
Sometimes I think we get discouraged when the bones are rattling because we don’t recognize it.
How ever long it took, even after the bones had flesh, there was still no breath.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the end result (a living body) that we miss or overlook the process (rattling, bones come together, sinew, flesh).

Actually, in life, sometimes things appear to be the end result, when they are only part of the process. God does not always give us the details of the process like He did with Ezekiel, so we can get discouraged when things start happening, but we are not getting the end result. We can begin to wonder if God spoke to our hearts or if we imagined it. Yet, if we wait on God, even seeming roadblocks can be compasses that direct our path.

Finally my friends had the ministry set up, the money to fund it, and it was time to move. Earlier this year, they found a house that they felt would be excellent for the ministry. It seemed ideal. It needed a little work, but there was money and skilled labor within the church. They spoke to the landlord, and after a few days of getting all their ducks in a row, they put down a deposit, and began to make plans. They still needed a signature on a piece of legal paper that they would deliver to the landlord the next day and then he would give them the key and it would be final. After years of waiting and months of looking, they were excited that God was moving!

The next day when they went to give the landlord the signed paper, they noticed that there was a mattress and a couch on the front porch of the house they were renting. When they asked the landlord about it, he said he had rented it to someone else, done deal, and since they had not closed their deal with him, he felt he had the right to do this. He told them to come back the next day for their deposit because he didn’t have it with him. They were shocked! They thought God was moving. They thought this was the perfect house. It had been such a ‘God thing’ the way He had led them to find this house in the first place. If only they’d have had that signature a day sooner, the house would have been theirs.
How could they have been so wrong?!

They went to God in prayer. They thanked Him for His plan and His timing, and despite what felt like such a setback, they believed if God spoke, He would also act. They believed there must be something even better.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. {Ezekiel 37: 9-10}

Ezekiel didn’t get all bent out of shape when there was no breath the first time. He had to have stood amazed in the process. He didn’t say “Hey God, I prophesied like you said and there is no breath, just a bunch of naked, dead, flesh covered bones .” Instead, he must have waited on God. Who knows how long that took. So the lesson is, do not measure success of whether God is working by whether or not you have arrived at the end result. Don’t miss the rattling, and don’t get impatient with the process. If I read the Word right, faith pleases God beyond our comprehension.

My friends felt discouraged, yet they trusted God had spoken, and would move. The next day as they went to get their deposit, a temporary roadblock forced them to drive down a street they would not normally have driven down. And there, on that block, was a house. It was being put up for rent that very day. It had not yet been advertised. This house was a duplex. It was bigger. It was a better location. It was cheaper rent, and in better condition. They rented both sides of the duplex – closed the deal within 24 hours, and marveled at how perfect the second house was. It so exceeded the first house, which they had once thought God was leading them towards – the house they had thought ideal. The duplex needed no work, and increased the number of men they could house. All the ducks were in a row from the lost house, so it only took a day to acquire the second one, with more reputable landlords.

This is just the first house of many as they expand the ministry. (They have a vision for a women’s house soon). Isn’t God GOOD!!

I think we all have times when we feel God has spoken to our hearts about something, and we wait. Then we get anxious if nothing happens right away. But maybe the bones are rattling, and we are so intent on the end result that we fail to see it. Or maybe it appears our answer is before us, only for things to go contrary. We may not realize the very thing that seemed contrary is a part of the process to lead us to what we are waiting for. If my friends had not had the first house fall out from under them, they would not have been on that road that led them to a temporary roadblock that took them to the right house. (Sometimes roadblocks are stops along the way so we won't make the same mistakes).

The background to this passage of scripture is that people were only calling on God when they had a need. The rest of the time they ignored Him. God wants relationship with us. He does put desires in our hearts and He wants us to wait on Him and enjoy the process, and when those desires become realities, He does not want us to ignore Him, but continue to fellowship with Him. To praise Him for His goodness, whether we get anything or not. When a dream is realized, it is hardly the end, it is a new beginning. We must never stop being desperate for God, even when times are good. He wants us to fellowship with Him whether we have all our needs, or whether we are waiting for something. Love Him just because HE IS.

And BTW, He is never late. . .

I just felt like someone needed to hear this testimony right now. I know I have a couple of things I am waiting on God for. The bones are rattling, and there have been several seeming roadblocks, but I believe with all my heart that God is good, that they are just part of the process, and He will put breath in the bones at the precise right moment, and in so doing, He will get all the glory!

endnote: as my friend shared their story, he is the one who mentioned Ezekiel and made me ponder it; then I expound upon it from my ponderings and came up with this.

Martha

Luke 10:38 tells us Martha invited Jesus into her home. It doesn’t say if she was preparing a snack or if dinner was part of her hospitality, but at any rate, she was busy fixing something.
Now her sister, Mary, was sitting at Jesus’ feet, and Martha got bent out of shape about it. I’ve heard lots of commentaries and sermons, but I’ve never been satisfied with stereotyping Martha concerning her attitude in one moment in time, (or perhaps the real root of her discontent), while failing to recognize her great faith at another.

Martha displayed the gift of hospitality.
She did not have to invite Jesus into her home.
She wanted to. ..
As a woman who likes to cook (and does it well), I understand this. I enjoy having people in my home for meals or even just to visit. I’m mostly a ‘make yourself at home’ kind-of gal. Especially drinks: there is a time to serve people, (like the first visit or party) and there is a time to point them to the fridge, cupboard, ice box, and tell them to partake freely – mi casa es su casa.

I think in Martha’s day, formal serving was maybe more the custom of the day, and perhaps she was anxious to make a good impression on Jesus by being a wonderful hostess. Everything had to be “just so”. The word says she was ‘distracted’ by her preparations.
The one and only time I was this nervous about my dinner guests, (many years ago) the brisket turned out tough as a brick, and the rolls burned. Graciously, they laughed (plenty of jokes and ribbing about ‘artillery’ potential), we ordered pizza, and they returned many times afterwards to enjoy great cuisine and company.

When we get so caught up in serving someone to impress them rather than to bless them, it is easy to see where priorities need adjustment,
but I don’t want to diminish the importance of having a servant heart and serving people. (In any area).
I believe that when someone prepares a meal out of love, it is part of living out worship: whether it is a dinner party in your home, the thanksgiving meal, preparing food at the local soup kitchen or shelter, cooking meals on a mission trip, teaching teens or ex offenders how to cook for themselves at a half-way house, or just the daily family meal.

I think Martha had a servant heart, she just got side-tracked for a moment. More than feeling left out, maybe her ideals of custom dictated that her sister should be serving too; apparently it didn’t bother her that Lazarus was reclining with Jesus while she did all the work because of tradition and culture, but no one was demanding Mary to do so, and she was a woman. It must have felt a little unjust to Martha, as if she did not matter. Cinderella syndrome? Perhaps it seemed to her that Mary was being shown favoritism, while she was being unappreciated.
That’s just what it sounds like to me.

Maybe she could have just stopped what she was doing and sat at Jesus’ feet too. And maybe it would not have mattered if the meal was late or never prepared. But my guess is, that is not what her problem was. Instead of being ‘distracted’ by preparations, maybe Martha just forgot that when we are called to serve, (to bless, not to impress), our own blessings come from that very service –we don’t have to worry we are missing out.

She could have exclaimed, “Hey Jesus! The kitchen is in here! Everyone gather round and You can teach while I cook!” I mean, Jesus didn’t have a problem breaking man-made traditions when breaking them was a good thing. I know some of the best conversations I’ve ever had have been in the kitchen while I’m cooking or doing dishes.
But in her day, it probably seemed rude to her to even consider such a thing. And the kitchen might not have been spacious enough. But anyway, I just think she gets a bad rap when all she did was feel unappreciated and sorry for herself for just a moment. If anyone wants to throw a stone, then s/he must never, ever have held their own pity party, even for a second.
Any takers?
Not me.

Martha was actually a woman of great faith. In John 11 when Lazarus died Martha confronts Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." (vs. 21, 22) She recognized His Lordship and she already had the faith that whatever Jesus asked, it would be given to Him, perhaps even delivering Lazarus from death?! She declares He is the Christ, the Son of God. And when she tells Mary that Jesus has arrived, she calls Him Teacher. Curious… Was this anticipation?

Verse 5 says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” We know Jesus loved mankind enough to die for our sins, but this is personal. These three were close, personal friends of Jesus who He held dear, and loved.
Men were usually listed first in Hebrew culture. Here, Martha is listed first; she is no second rate person to Jesus by any means.
Can you imagine getting to be a close, personal friend of Jesus when He walked the earth?! To be embraced by the Lord God in the flesh?! To be called one whom He loved?! Wow! That gives me pause…[Selah]

Martha may have gotten bent out of shape for a moment, but I’m thinking she got it right somewhere on the journey. Maybe she learned her gift of hospitality could be just as much worship as Mary pouring perfume on His feet and wiping it with her hair.
Very different outward actions, but same servant heart.

endnote: Ironically, while I was writing this, I stopped to warm up some leftovers before the kids dashed off to this event and that, and in my haste to return to writing, I pushed 2 minutes instead of 20 seconds on the microwave for a small piece of meat. After 1:30 it began to smoke. My kids told me burnt offerings were no longer part of God’s plan, and anyway, how would He have ever thought that awful smell was a sweet aroma? No way! You just have to love how God keeps us humble and has a sense of humor!

Woman's Desire

Recently, a dear friend challenged me to look more closely at Genesis 3:16, where the Lord tells Eve, “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." and consider that it might have greater implications than sexual/emotional desire for fulfillment, a concept we had both heard preached many times. “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you" is a single statement: cause and effect: because a woman’s desire is for her husband, he will rule over her. Why is that? The Hebrew word tesuqah, translated as desire is used three times in the old testament. In song of Solomon, this desire is undoubtedly sexual (and emotional) longing, but in Genesis 4:7, it means to overcome or defeat another: "[Sin's] desire is for you, but you should rule over it” If sin’s desire is for us and we are to rule over it, and woman’s desire is for her husband and he will rule over her, perhaps the meaning of desire here is not so much sexual, as it is that woman would desire to be the leader of the man. And though woman’s desire will be to lead the man, God is establishing that man will be the leader over the woman.

{{sidenote: a word study of consume and consummate sheds even more light on the word desire.}}

When Eve took the fruit from the serpent, it appears her husband was standing right beside her, silent as a lamb. (Gen. 3:6) Did she ask him what he thought?
Apparently not.
He had already told her they were forbidden to eat of the fruit of this tree. It seems she decided to form her own opinion, and that he decided to let her, even though it contradicted him.

[diatribe] In Genesis 2, it appears that God forbade eating the fruit before Eve was created, and perhaps Adam was the one to convey the message to her. In Genesis 2, God tells Adam not to eat of the fruit, it doesn’t say anything about touching it, but when Eve is socializing with the serpent in the garden, she says God said neither to eat nor to touch. I don’t know, I wasn’t there, God could have spoken later to Eve, but perhaps this is the first ‘fence’ law made by man. (Adam thought – we can’t eat it, so I’ll tell her we can’t even touch it so she won’t be tempted to eat it). If so, it didn’t work, because they both ended up eating it anyway. [end diatribe].

Even though Eve usurped the leadership role, Adam was still held responsible for that leadership role. Romans 5:12 says “ sin came into the world through one man” meaning through Adam, (if I understand it right), not Eve, who ate first, and therefore technically might have sinned first. {{Was the first sin Eve eating the fruit, or Adam letting her???}}
{{Regardless}}This says Adam was given the responsibility of leadership, and just because he let Eve have it, he was still responsible for the consequences of it. (death)

So women desire that leadership position, but men will be held accountable for it because it is God’s divine order. That is certainly something to consider very seriously and soberly. The ramifications are huge. It is difficult to go against these natural tendencies of the flesh. But God gave us a picture of what marriage should look like through the example of Christ and the Church. Wives are to submit rather than contend. Husbands must love rather than dominate.

But we live in a fallen world. The realities are that on one side of the coin: many men dominate and some even abuse; therefore many women will take over for self preservation or the preservation of their children. On the other side of the coin: many women desire to lead (because they don't like the way he does it) and will take over; and many men let them, out of weakness, laziness, or to keep the peace, even when the results create disharmony. (American tv says if a hot babe emasculates a man, he should accept it because she is, well, hot, and the sex is worth it. Wrong!) Explains a lot of what goes wrong in relationships. Explains why women who have yielded to the Lord are so desperate to find a godly man they can follow. Seriously.

I am not ditzing the intelligence of women. I am an intelligent woman. Women can be leaders and teachers in many roles in society. I am speaking of the marriage partnership here. I was in a position where I submitted to the authority of a husband who made a horribly wrong decision, and I suffered the consequences of that decision. And in the past, I was one of those who all too easily would not submit when I thought a man was wrong, and even if in that particular situation I was right, in the long-run, this text suggests I was wrong because I was out of order.

But I also believe God does not intend for us to submit to abuse. I was in an abusive situation, and in order to survive {literally} I left. I had counsel telling me I had to make it work, even if he killed me. I had to remove myself from that counsel and from that situation and get my kids and me safe. I left an already broken covenant - I did not break it. I think people get very legalistic about divorce when they themselves do not have an understanding of the absolute wreckage of adultery and abuse. Sure, God hates divorce – it tears people’s hearts, but I do not think He is in favor of some of the horrible things happening in marriages that are ruining people’s lives either.
There are accounts of women leaders in the community and women opening their homes in the early days of the church. Deborah was a judge and God seemed okay with it. But God was okay with men having several wives and concubines (David and Solomon certainly had God’s favor and had many), and yet it says God intended there to be one man and one woman from the beginning. So does God have a perfect plan for His Creation, but makes concessions for a fallen world because of necessity? (Men wouldn’t need divorce, just add another wife and basically ignore the one you didn’t want – who was the loser here?) Maybe that is why God is gracious to allow divorced people to remarry. I hope so, because I am waiting for a godly man and I think God has promised me one.[Note 2011

Maybe women are only not to be leaders over men in marriage, which does not mean women do not have valuable input or sway in decision making as partners. I am the youth worship team leader. I come under the authority of the youth pastor. He plays with us and even though he lets me make all the decisions, I do so with his blessing, and he can at any time tell me to do something different and I would submit to his authority. Meaning, if we disagreed how to do something with the band, we would discuss it, but in the end, he gets the final say. So far, I have been blessed that he absolutely backs me 100%, even when it is not the way he would have done it because he feels I am called to lead it and he sees God at work in my life. (I think this is a picture of how marriage should work too).

I do believe that each of us is responsible to answer to God, and that whenever He allows us to be subject to an authority, good or evil, we are to submit to that authority except for where that authority asks us to go against God. There are times it seems slaves are told to be subject to masters who did not treat them well. And women are told that through their humble submission their husbands might be brought to Christ; if the unbeliever stayed, so should she.
The disciples obeyed the law except for when they were forbidden to preach Jesus and/or heal people in the Name of Jesus. They only did not submit to authority when it asked them to go against God. When Abigail went to meet king David, she was not submitting to the authority of a husband who was sinning against God and asking her to do the same.

Those who wish to lead must do so by serving.