Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 
Ezekiel 37:4 (NIV)

Most of us are willing to confess that Ezekiel is one of the books of the Bible we know little about. We’ve heard the song about the wheel within a wheel, and maybe the Valley of the Dry Bones, but that’s about it. For a major prophet, Ezekiel doesn’t get a lot of press because the book is so hard to understand. 

What does the Bible tell us about the prophet Ezekiel?

• He was likely about 30 when he began his ministry.
• He was taken captive to Babylon in the second deportation of 597 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:14-16).
• He was both a priest and a prophet (Ezekiel 1:3).
• He was married, but would later lose his wife (Ezekiel 24:18).
• He had a home in Babylon in Tel-Abib near the Kebar River, where we find him in the first chapter.
• His name means “God will strengthen.” The Lord would use Ezekiel to strengthen the people during the siege of Jerusalem, the fall, and the aftermath.

Ezekiel was known for the radical things he did to get his point across:

• He made a drawing of Jerusalem on a clay tablet and played army against it (Ezekiel 4:1-3)
• He lay on his left side for 390 days (over a year) as a symbol of Israel’s sin, and then lay on his right side for 40 days for the years of Judah’s sin (Ezekiel 4:4-8).
• He made bread baked with cow manure in the sight of the people as a symbol of the defiled and unclean food the people would eat in their exile (Ezekiel 4:9-17).
• He shaved off all his hair, burning some while casting some to the wind to represent what God was going to do to the Israelites (Ezekiel 5:1-4).
• He lost his wife, but God commanded him not to grieve for her because Israel refused to grieve for her sin (Ezekiel 24:15-19).
• He packed all of his belongings, dug a hole through the wall, and, as the people watched, crawled through just like a man going into exile (Ezekiel 12:1-7).

As a result of Ezekiel’s bizarre behavior, some have tried to label him neurotic, epileptic, psychotic, or even schizophrenic.  The truth is that Ezekiel knew how close his countrymen were to God’s coming judgment so he did not have the luxury of procrastination.

One of the things to appreciate from this book are the mind-staggering events in the life of Ezekiel:

• He starts in Jerusalem and then is taken off to Babylon with the captives.
• He arrives in Babylon, settles, and makes a new but awkward life.
• As a priest, he thought he knew the spiritual condition of his people, but the Lord would show Ezekiel through visions what was really happening inside the temple and in the hearts of Israel.
• The Lord would give Ezekiel great oracles to prophesy against Tyre, Egypt, and other surrounding nations, enabling him to see them as God saw them.

Ezekiel started in a small part of a much larger world, believing that he understood things.  Suddenly he was thrust from his small world into the greatest nation on the planet at that moment of history, and he was forced to see the world differently. Ezekiel could have chosen to live out his life in a comfortable house on the side of the Kebar River and let Babylon and Israel suffer the consequences.  Instead, he answered God's call, and gave God's message to the people of Israel.  When we look at the life and ministry of the prophet Ezekiel, we find a rare man committed to God’s great life purpose.

How far would we go to follow the Lord?

• If it cost us our reputation?
• If it cost us our spouse?
• If we were asked to eat horrible things?
• If it required us to make a fool of ourselves?
• If we were told to do ridiculous things—things so far out that people would wonder if there was something wrong with us?

As we look at our world today, we see an updated version of the same behavior as in Ezekiel's day.  Most of us are very concerned about the future of our country, and we, too, do not have the luxury of procrastination.  Who is the family member, friend, co-worker, or neighbor God want us to tell about His Son Jesus?  Who does God want us to invite to church?  What holds us back?  Complacency, mediocrity, indifference, unconcern, fear?  Those who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior have a responsibility to share the Good News with others...but, we have to choose to obey.

Did you enjoy the holidays?  Did you see friends and family members you rarely see?  Was it exciting to hear all about what they are doing and share with them what is going on in your life?  Were there so many things to talk about and so much to catch up on that you could hardly wait for your time with them to begin?  Do you feel your time together ended all too quickly? 

How about our time with God?  Do we feel the same excitement?  Do we come to Him expectantly, joyfully, believing we will hear God speak to us through His written word?  Do we have an “I-just-can’t-wait-to-tell-Him” eagerness?  Or, is our time with God routine, programmed, and just something to check off our “to-do” list?  Are we sometimes shocked when we lay our heads on our pillows at night and suddenly realize we did not spend any time at all in God’s Word or in prayer that entire day?  And then, so the day isn’t a total loss, do we quickly send up our token prayers to God and give Him the leftovers of our day? 

Well, guess what?  We do not have to continue the same old ways or repeat the same old failures.  We have now moved into the year 2018, and we can do better.  It is so comforting to know that one of the many wonderful things about God is when we confess our sin, He forgives, cleanses and restores us.  We can start over.  We can leave our past failures with Him.  We can make a brand new start!  We can ask God through the power of the Holy Spirit to make us more like Jesus.   

One of the things many of us want to improve in 2018 is our prayer life.  In today’s world, there are so many things to pray about that sometimes we become overwhelmed and discouraged.  How can we pray for all of these things?  Paul writes in Philippians 4:6:  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”  God wants us to come to Him and talk with Him about every detail of our lives. 

 Just recently, I read the following prayer that English minister and author John Stott prayed each morning: 

Good morning heavenly Father, 
good morning Lord Jesus, 
good morning Holy Spirit. 

Heavenly Father, I worship you as the creator and sustainer of the universe. 

Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world. 
Holy Spirit, I worship you, sanctifier of the people of God. 
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. 

Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence and please you more and more. 

Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you. 

Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God,  have mercy upon me. 
Amen. 

While I am not suggesting a memorized or recited prayer, there are so many good things in Stott’s prayer that could be incorporated into our own prayer time with God. 

 Here are some suggestions for prayer in 2018:      

1. Pray for God to enable you to love Him with all your heart, mind and soul. 
2. Pray against distractions that interfere with your time with God. 
3. Pray for God to give you a thankful heart. 
4. Pray for your families to remain close to God. 
5. Pray for all believers to remain strong and be Christ-like examples to those around them. 
6. Pray for pastors, staff members, and their families. 
7. Pray for missionaries both home and abroad. 
8. Pray for the unsaved and for God’s guidance and boldness to share the Gospel with them. 
9. Pray for our country to return to God—for revival in our country and throughout the world.   
10. Pray for our leaders to make wise, godly decisions. 
11. Pray for first responders. 
12. Pray for the homeless. 

Remember—God is always available.  He is never too busy.  He is never too tired.  He always listens, and He wants His children to spend time with Him.  Let’s do better.  Let’s spend a lot of time with God in 2018!