Dry Bones Be Still

    This morning, as I was kneeling face down before God, I found myself very distracted. I was thinking about this blog, my knitting, if I should try to take a nap before the baby wakes up and on and on. I kept reminding myself I can think about that later. I wasn't hearing anything though all this chatter.

    I use to do this on a regular basis. I would often feel God's presence fairly quickly. Many times I would be so overwhelmed tears would stream down my face. Despite His silence my heart did still sing out in worship however. Calling out to my Savior, "The Great I Am" began to swell up.

    

Seeking Him I silently sang:

"I want to be near, near to Your heart. 

Loving the world. Hating the dark. 

I want to see dry bones living again, singing as one: 

Hallelujah. Holy, holy. God All Mighty. The Great I Am."

...

"The mountains shake before You. 

The demons run and flee at the mention of Your name, King of Majesty" 

    I was reminded He truly is the Great I Am. I am the dry bones. I have let the life of His Spirit get muddled by myself. Like any relationship quality time and communication keep it vibrant. I had neglected my relationship with Jesus and like the bones in Ezekiel 37: 1-14 my soul is very dry. I need His breath to revive me.  

   God's name "I Am" in Hebrew is "Yhwh". Say that. "Yhwh". What does that sound like? Breath. "Yh" breathing in and "wh" breathing out. So, I used my breath, the expression of the Great I Am within me as my mantra.

    Yhwh, The Great I Am, proclaims Himself in every breath I breathe. He has not left me during my absence from our relationship. He has never stopped making Himself available to me. I chose to ignore Him, to take Him for granted and push Him aside. Yhwh, the God who gave me life. How arrogant is that? 

   This morning I did not feel His overwhelming closeness, as I have in the past, but that's okay. The spark is being rekindled in this relationship and like any other it takes time. I have let my selfishness, my sins, crowd the space between us. On my knees I asked for His forgiveness of my absence, self involvement and since of self sufficiency. In turn He is reteaching me to "Be still and know that I am God". Yhwh Elohim: I AM The Creator. The Giver of Life! 

    This morning He was not silent despite the quiet. He called my heart to worship. He reminded me of His presence within me: Yhwh. He guided my soul through this journey back to Him. He truly is the Great I Am!