By Michael Evans, Assistant Director of ACSI Urban School Services
Ezekiel’s special interaction with the Lord as recorded in Ezekiel 37 gives us insights as we work to serve students, especially those who are challenged in some way. The imagery is abundantly vivid and easy to recall: the prophet, the valley, the dry bones, the command of the Lord.
The Lord asked Ezekiel to look over the valley of dry bones and declare what he saw: dead dry bones! Then the Lord asked the question, Can these dry bones live? And the response is, Only you know, Sovereign Lord—almost as if the prophet was unwilling to attach his name to either a hopeless declaration or a hopeful anticipation of the bones. He leaves it up to God. And God does respond: Speak to the bones. Command life. Watch them take on a life of fullness and strength. Speak to the bones!
The valley of dry bones lies before us today. The statistics are glaring as cited in Dr. Gant’s lead article in this publication:
- The vast majority of children of color are performing below their grade level in math and reading.
- Half of Latino and African American male children do not graduate from high school.
- And low-income children overall are performing below their academic grade level.
Hear the Word of the Lord speaking to those who will hear: Can these bones live? Can the undereducated be educated? Can those who are limited in their knowledge base have a full and rich learning experience? Can these dry bones live? Can the dry bones in your school live? Can the bones that were unable to pass the admissions test to get into your school live?
Only God knows.
And the response from heaven: Prophesy to the bones. Do not trust your eyes, what you see, what you think, what you have been taught, what you feel is the best use of your time, what is the acceptable way to operate, what is expected or inspected. As a child of God, hear the Father command you to prophesy to the bones—to speak the Word of life and to watch His Word come to life.
The integral part of Ezekiel’s interaction is recorded in Ezekiel 37:7 and 10: “So I prophesied as I was commanded.” Ezekiel spoke God’s thoughts about the dry bones. And then the dry bones began to take shape and take on muscle and flesh. The second prophesy caused breath to enter this vast army of warriors ... from dry bones to a mighty army because of the Word of God and the obedience of a prophet.
While we do have the power to speak life into the dryness in our students’ lives, that ability to do so is of no use until teachers and administrators literally believe that “these dry bones” can live. Administrators can no longer spend time warehousing dry bones. Nor can they spend time trying to convince teachers that these dry bones can live. Teachers must believe it. A teacher’s belief about a student’s learning capacity has a direct impact on that teacher’s ability to effectively educate. A teacher’s success is not built around what she or her students know; rather, success is built around a teacher’s belief that a student can know.
There are some challenges, however. Teachers who are in some way removed from their students often experience a level of disconnect from a solid belief in the children’s ability to learn. At times, racial or economic difference hinders a teacher from truly believing in the academic abilities of a child. Prejudice can be a strong influence in one’s life, and it is easy to adopt attitudes about people groups or people of certain economic classes (for example, “Everyone knows that children of color really excel in athletics and the arts over academics” or “Poor children just can’t grasp material as fast as others!”).
Teachers may also be blinded by a child’s past poor performance to the point that the teachers are never able to refocus their eyes to see a child who can learn, perform, and contribute.
At times, a family’s background or lack of spirituality can also play into a teacher’s perception about a child’s ability to learn. For example, some may say, “That student is not going to be able to learn until his mother and father start living according to God’s plan, get that child into bed at a decent hour, and start taking him to church.”
Some teachers may say that a child is incapable of learning because he needs a touch of the Holy Ghost, failing to realize that an education will help that child understand his need for the Spirit of God in his life. The Spirit of God who can be expressed demonstratively in a child’s life is the same Spirit of God who wants to renew the child’s mind and lead that student in all truth.
If God can call the dry bones to life, can He not call these students to a life of fullness of strength? Who will speak to the bones?
Lord, give us the grace and courage to believe that You have created all students and given them a large capacity to learn. Forgive us for denying students the privilege of an education fit for children of the King because of our own thoughts and assessments. We will teach all our children as though we were teaching You.
Can these dry bones live?
Absolutely. Speak to the bones!
The Meantime Volume 7 Number 1