Ezekiel 37:7-10
I did what the Lord said, but before I finished speaking, I heard a rattling noise. The bones were coming together! I saw muscles and skin cover the bones, but they had no life in them.
The Lord said: Ezekiel, now say to the wind, “The Lord God commands you to blow from every direction and to breathe life into these dead bodies, so they can live again.”
As soon as I said this, the wind blew among the bodies, and they came back to life! They all stood up, and there were enough to make a large army.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Ellen DeGeneres is well-known for her hidden camera pranks. For instance, she once sent one of her writers, Amy, to a supermarket disguised as a produce manager. She told Amy what to say to customers, and Amy had to say and do whatever Ellen told her. At one point, Ellen told Amy to ask a customer what she was buying, and then to ask her, “Do you have any cats?” Then she told Amy to yell out, “I have two cats!” Ellen got more ridiculous with the prank, and Amy the writer had people looking at her like she was insane.
It was all in good fun… and Amy was a good sport. She said and did everything Ellen commanded. At one point, a customer pushed her cart past Amy. Ellen told Amy to yell "TURNIP!” and then start tap dancing. Amy did exactly this! Finally, Amy was allowed to tell the customer that she was with the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and they were on hidden camera… and everything ended well.
There were a few tense moments when Ellen told Amy to do something, and Amy looked somewhat shocked and reluctant… as in, “Are you kidding me?!” And I have a feeling this is how we often react when God speaks to us – if we even recognize His voice in the first place! Unlike Ellen’s writer Amy, I’d be willing to bet that we have ignored God more than a few times… or disobeyed Him. And unlike the harmless prank that Ellen DeGeneres was pulling for her television show, the consequences of ignoring God can be life changing!
Just look at what happened to Ezekiel. Imagine if he had ignored God’s commands about the dry bones. What if he had failed to command the winds on God’s behalf? I must tell you, our failure to do what God commands us is every bit as critical! We must be awake, alert, and completely in tune with God and His will, so that when He speaks to us, we answer swiftly and obediently.
If God told you to yell “TURNIP!” and start tap dancing in a grocery store, would you do it? Would you hear His voice, recognize HE was speaking, and obey His command? I doubt seriously that God will ever tell any of us to do this. But we must be ready, willing and able to answer when He does speak… and to do whatever He tells us. Are you prepared to answer obediently? When God speaks to you, how do you respond?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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