Meal planning, I hate it. I’m not good at it. I want to be, but after many failed attempts, it just does not jive with how my brain works. I know I’m not the only one to, in some way, start off January with a “New Year, New You” mentality. Admittedly, I have rarely made it very far. I may start off strong with Macaroni Monday and Taco Tuesday, but by mid-week its “Whatever you Want Wednesday,” “Forgot to Thaw Thursday,” and “Fend for Yourself Friday.” By Saturday I feel I have failed again and have even less motivation to try again, so I fall into old habits. This is, admittedly, a silly example of an area in which I would like to grow, but the point remains – too many attempts and too few results make me a bit melancholy in the New Year.  

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What I have failed to recognize is this: I simply cannot renew myself. There are exceptions to that rule, with gobs more willpower and “stick-to-it-iveness” than I have. But I dare say, many of us have either given up on “renewing” ourselves, or we’re still on this cycle of trying and failing and getting discouraged. Maybe this was the year you were going to read your Bible every day, and by week two, you’ve already skipped three days and you’re playing catch up or have given up completely. Your hopes for real change are dashed. Happy New Year, right?!  

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Our Scripture today is part of a prophetic message from Ezekiel in which he is standing in a valley of dry bones, and the LORD asks him if he thinks the bones can live again. Like you or I might respond, his response is, “You alone know the answer to that, God.” What follows is a series of statements in which the LORD says, “I will.” To state the obvious, dead, dry bones can literally do nothing; they have no will, no hope. But God.  

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His very word puts muscles and flesh on them and breath in their lungs. The ESV version of the Bible says, in verse 6, that He will put “sinews” on them. This is just another word for connective fibrous tissue, like tendons. One thing we know about tendons is that they are strong and tough. These bodies now live but are also put together by God to be strong and tough, because God wills it! He says “live,” and they do.  

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We have been digging into the message of Isaiah in this series, and a few things come to mind when comparing today’s verse with Isaiah 61:2-3. It says, “He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD had planted for his own glory” (NLT).  

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For whatever reason, the thing that stood out to me here was the picture of “great oaks that the Lord had planted.” Oaks are known for their strength and longevity. Yet even an oak cannot be mighty, strong, and live a long life unless the Lord plants it. Just as God plants the great oak for his glory, he also wraps those dry bones in strength and breathes into them to live for His glory.  

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So, what do dry bones, and mighty oaks have to do with failed New Year’s resolutions? I think the words of Isaiah help draw out the contrast of our self-made attempts versus God produced results. The contrasting list is quite telling:

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God gives beauty --- Our attempts to do anything on our own are ashes and dashed hope.

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God gives joyous blessing --- Our attempts result in mourning and sadness.  

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God induces festive praise --- Our attempts have us in despair at all our failure.  

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My willpower will not fix me; more than that, it cannot fix me. My desire for change must be rooted in deep connection with God through prayer, as only He can produce real and lasting change. Sometimes our issue is that we want clear and concise results now! I was told once, “we don’t grow foot by foot, but inch by inch.” Oak trees take many years to become “mighty,” and your growth is no different. We must bring our requests to God and allow him to breathe life into us for anything to happen.  

What are you trying to accomplish on your own that has you hopeless or in mourning or despair? My prayer for you and for myself is that we do not rely on willpower to accomplish anything, but that we would hear the Word of the Lord and live. That we would allow God to breathe life into us and be who He has intended.  

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Lord, thank you for your Word and the life you give us. I pray for those of us with areas we’d like to grow or change, that we would surrender those to you. We know you can help us to grow strong and mighty. Help us to trust you in the things we cannot do on our own. Amen.