Ezekiel saw a valley filled with dead, dry bones. A barren wilderness where life had once been, but was no more. We are these. And it seems dismal. But the story gets better as God asks Ezekiel if these bones can live. Whether Ezekiel doubts this possibility or not, his answer is a diplomatic: “You know, Lord.”
God’s promise for the dry bones
God’s promise is: “I will put breath in you, and you will come to life.” All the tendons and sinews and skin are mere window dressing. In all the discussions about how it is that we came into being, the focus is on how the mechanical parts could have been manufactured–but the morgue is filled with bodies that have tendons and sinews and skin. They have all the parts, but they do not have the life. God’s promise is to give them the breath of life.
A vast army
As Charity describes the succeeding events, her passionate rendition makes clear to us the grandeur of the vision. This is a recitation of Scripture at its best. The hopelessness of ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ is countered with God’s promise to raise the dead to life, to put his Spirit in them and make them alive. When these words are read flat on the page, it is a good story, but with this recitation, Charity takes those flat words and brings them to life. She rouses us out of our despair and, in doing so, we feel ourselves rising to be part of that vast army of dry bones made alive.
Scripture recitation
You, too, can recite passages of Scripture, like this passage in Ephesians 2:4-10 about God’s compassion. In whatever way you naturally communicate, you can convey the message of the Bible. Visit the By Heart website to learn how you can memorize Scripture and learn to recite. Visit the By Heart recitation videos webpage to see our other recitation videos.
Westbow Press’ publication, The Art of Reciting Scripture is a step-by-step guide for Scripture reciters, showing how each one of us can succeed in this spiritual discipline.
