A Monthly Letter of Encouragement To Men and Women in Christian Service
From Jim Stephens - Resource Ministries
Issue 100 – December 2006
Copyright©2007 - Jim Stephens
Ezekiel 36-37; Revelation 19
“Son of man, prophesy to Israel's mountains. Give them this message: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD! (Ezekiel 36:1 NLT)
Then he said to me, “Speak to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD! (Ezekiel 37:4 NLT)
And the angel said, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.” (Revelation 19:9 NLT)
Prophesy to the mountains, speak to the bones, write this - these are the true words of the Lord!
The power of the word. The power of words. The power of the Word of the Lord.
I can think of words my father spoke that made a mark on me - I know this can be overdone, but it's real nonetheless. I remember one time in the third watch of the night when he said, "You have disappointed your mother and me!" I was seventeen. How in the world can I remember those words 45 years later?
I remember one time at church - where I was pastor and he was a deacon, my father hugged me and said, "I'm proud of you!" I was 40 years old. How can I remember those words 22 years later?
Those were a total of ten words out of the thousands of words I heard my father speak while our lifetimes overlapped. But those are the ones I remember.
Words spoken to a person by another person are powerful - can be powerful.
But here God told Ezekiel to prophesy to mountains and to dismembered skeletons - "Mountains of Israel, hear the Word of the Lord!" "Dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord!" To John he said, "Write this down. These are the true Words of the Lord!"
The Words of the Lord spoken to mountains in Israel by a prophet 500 miles away in Babylon determined the course of future history. Future History - is that a contradiction in terms?
The Words of the Lord spoken to bones and winds in a trance-like vision have become an expression of hope and faith to God-seekers of many generations and nations - were fulfilled within a generation after they were spoken for God by Ezekiel. They were fulfilled by words of power spoken by Cyrus, ruler over an empire that didn't even exist when the words were spoken.
The angel in Revelation 19 said, "These are the true words of the Lord." False words have power through human influence. True words have power beyond human ability and influence.
Lord, keep my words true. Let me speak and write only what is from your mind and heart. Let my words bring life to dry bones, hope to desolate land. Let my words be true.
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Amazing Grace! ...Tis Grace hath brought me safe this far, and Grace will lead me home!
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GraceNotes is Copyright ©2007 by Jim Stephens of Resource Ministries International. All rights reserved worldwide. Please include this publication and copyright information section in all forwards or printed copies. If any part of the text of this mailing is included in any other publication, please include this information.
Jim and Jean Stephens
Resource Ministries International
P.O. Box 7096
Bend, OR 97708 USA
Phone 541-389-7155
resource@resourceministries.org