The weathermen tell us that we just experienced the hottest weather Nashville has seen since they started keeping records. With any luck, like the 500-year flood, maybe we won’t see this again! Aren’t you glad that we usually can control the weather inside our homes?
When I see the brown leaves, dead grass, and dust floating around, I think about what Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 37. The Spirit of the Lord set him in the middle of a valley full of dry bones. Scripture says these bones were “very dry.” I imagine they were sun-bleached and sun-dried.
God’s question for his prophet was, “Can these bones live?” You and I would probably be quick to answer, “It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?” These bones represent death and barrenness. They are completely dry, completely desolate.
Ezekiel knows better. His answer betrays his knowledge of God Almighty! He answers, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know!” In other words, “God, you’re smarter than I am. If you think they can, they can. If you think they can’t, they can’t. It’s up to you.”
I love Ezekiel’s simple trust in God. When faced with a valley of death, he knows that life is in God’s hands. When faced with what we’d call an impossibility, he places the answer squarely in God’s dominion.
When we are surrounded by death or temptation or fear or whatever it is that seems impossible to overcome, we ought to pause and think of Ezekiel’s answer: “Lord, you alone know!”