THE INCOMPLETE PROCESS (EZEKIEL 37: 1-10)

God showed Prophet Ezekiel a valley filled with bones.

He had no idea where God was going with this.

But He had walked with God long enough to know He isn’t frivolous with words or action: everything He does has a reason and a meaning…

As he looked at the valley filled with hundreds and thousands of human bones scattered all over the place, he heard God’s voice boom into the atmosphere: “Son of Man, do you think these bones can come back to life?”

Ah!

Seems God wants to set me up, he reasoned.

“You know, Lord!” he replied.

God smiled.

He knew Ezekiel was being coy with his response: he did not want to commit himself.

Then God said: “PROPHESY!”

Zik opened his mouth and prophesied…

The Bible did not tell us how long he did.

A minute?

An hour?

A day?

No idea.

But at some point, things started happening!

There was a noise, scripture says.

There was a shaking, scripture says.

There was a coming together of bones, scripture says…

In that moment, what did the Prophet do?

HE STOPPED PROPHESYING!

He started LOOKING at what was going on!

“I looked and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them…” Ezekiel 37:8

I imagine Zik closed his eyes when he was prophesying. But when he heard the noise, he stopped prophesying and opened his eyes. He then saw what was going on and was filled with awe.

This is where we miss it most times…

“O my! This is amazing! I have to go give a testimony abut this!” Then we go to Church to give a testimony abut what just happened.

“Praise the Lord! I don’t even know where to start”, we say…

“I used to have this valley filled with dry bones, but God turned the situation around! Praise the Lord, somebody!”

And the Church goes into a frenzy!

God has done it!

Hallelujah!

But wait a minute: what exactly did God do?

You had a Valley of DRY BONES

Now, you have a valley of DEAD MEN.

Seriously, what is the difference?

God said at the beginning: CAN THESE BONES LIVE?

You then SAW bones clattering around, joining together.

you SAW them form skeletons.

You SAW tendons, sinews, muscles, organs and flesh grow on them.

You SAW skins come upon them.

You SAW clothes and armor appear on them.

You are excited, you rushed off to give a testimony:

Your Valley of Dead Bones has become a Valley of Dead Men!

Praise the Lord!

You did not realize THE PROCESS IS INCOMPLETE!

Are the bones living now?

No!

The process is not yet complete, you’re already giving testimonies.

CALM DOWN!

God is telling you, “PROPHESY AGAIN!”

Don’t be overly excited over an incomplete process, folks. What you need is the capacity to wait until the process is complete: go back and finish the job!

Inasmuch as God has moved you from the Valley of Dry Bones to the Valley of Dead Men, THERE IS NOT MUCH DIFFERENCE!

The process is not yet complete, folks.

Continue to prophesy until there is LIFE!

Continue to prophesy until BREATH enters!

“So I prophesied as He commanded me and BREATH came into them and they lived, and stood upon their feet…” Ezekiel 37:10

Until breath enters them and they stand on their feet, the process is not complete.

Don’t celebrate half victories, folks.

Your team is 2-0 up at half time, you’re celebrating.

Are you ok?

Are you a learner?

Have you not heard?

Do you not know?

Were you not born when Brazil was 3-1 up at half time in the Semi-Finals of the Football Event of the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta, US?

Are you unaware Nigeria eventually won that match 4-3 and went on to win the Gold Medal?

Are you not aware half time results are the most unreliable statistics?

Don’t EVER stop talking and start looking like Prophet Zik!

In his case, God asked him to continue to prophesy when he got distracted. He was distracted by the noise and the shaking, but God quickly put him back on track.

In your case, God may not get across to you to tell you not get distracted: but He has sent me to you to tell you so!

Wait till your testimony is complete, wait until breath enters the dead bodies, wait until they stand upon their feet.

Then you can testify!

Wait until the process is complete!

Shalom,

Haruna Daniels