Death In The Valley: Why We Quit Along The Way
Valley of Dry Bones
The vision and prophecy of Ezekiel 37 is well known as The Valley of Dry Bones. The chapter opens with Yahweh’s hand on Ezekiel, who is shown a vision of devastation. The nation of Israel and its people lay in ruins. This vision is so distressing to Ezekiel that when asked a question, he can only respond, “Lord GOD, only you know.”
Ezekiel’s experience is often the burden of leadership—to see the people and places we love lying in devastation and be asked by God, “Son, of man, can these bones live?” Have you had this experience? Ezekiel loved his people and his nation. He called them back to God and called them to follow God even though they were an enslaved and deported people. They had experienced great heartache and pain at the hands of the Babylonian Empire.
All seemed hopeless. Looking around our cities and nation, it’s easy to feel that same hopelessness; it seems pervasive. We see great injustice, death, inequity, decay, and many other challenges. At times, it feels like a valley of dry bones.
Broken dreams.
Broken promises.
Broken systems.
Broken people.
As leaders, it can all be overwhelming. Our cities and communities can become so bad that the death we see around us begins to creep inside of us. This is why we quit along the way. We, as leaders, experience:
Distraction,
Discouragement,
Dissillusionment,
Debt,
Disaster, and
Danger.
This causes us to die in the valley.
Have you been there? I have. I’ve experienced this death, not a physical death, but a slow spiritual and emotional death. Our modern verbiage is burnout. The cares of this world and the weight of leadership combine to depress us. We lose sight of God, His promises, and His people. We become exhausted.
I’ve learned that long-term exhaustion leads to bitterness, unchecked bitterness leads to burnout, and burnout will make you hate what you once loved.
God’s remedy for this is what He tells Ezekiel—we need God’s Word and Spirit. As leaders, we cannot live the life God desires for us to live or lead like Jesus without these two. Ezekiel is told to prophesy the Lord God’s words over the dry bones. Once they have been brought together, the bones are no longer dry but still lifeless. Ezekiel was instructed to prophesy that the breath would come and fill their lungs. This breath was the rûah or the breath of God.
Jesus is the Word made flesh. As leaders, we have to stay close to Jesus. We have to abide in the Vine. He provides the Word and the Spirit we need to keep from burning out. Remember what He tells us in Matthew 11:28-30:
28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The work of leadership, especially in difficult times and places, can be too much of a burden. The death, distress, and decay that often accompany leading in a city, alongside the indignities of combating corrupt systems, can make us weary. That’s why Jesus invites us to connect with Him.
As we fast, pray, and study God’s word, we take time to get His perspective on our challenges. While they may be too much for us, they are not too much for God. We sit in His word and, by His Spirit, get revived. So that when we step into the valley, we can speak what He speaks and live by His power, not our own. So that we, like Ezekiel, can see a valley of dry bones live again.
Prayer Prompts:
Lord, how has the death around me crept into the inside of me? Will you revive me by your Word and Spirit?
God, as I look at the devastation and hopelessness impacting those I love and lead, would you give me the courage to believe and speak your word, even when everything looks contrary.
Jesus, this is too heavy for me. I surrender to you. I will come to you believing that you will give me rest and be with me in this work, bearing the load alongside me.
Further Study:
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Song: