Day One: Dry Bones Brought to Life
Death comes in many forms. Relationships die for lack of commitment, dreams fall by the wayside, opportunities pass, and ministries breathe their last without sufficient workers or enthusiasm. Some things die naturally when they have served their purpose. Forcing them to continue only prolongs the agony, like pumping oxygen through a corpse. But many deaths are needless, painful, agonizing, and full of foreboding. How can anybody come back to life after experiencing a loss like that? Only God knows.
I’ve experienced both kinds of death. I’ve been active in programs which served their purpose and died a natural death. I’ve had dreams that God allowed to die gradually so He could bring His perfect plan instead. However, I’ve also experienced other deaths that paralyzed my spirit. Only God can breathe new life into a soul devoid of life.
Ezekiel was a prophet to Israel whose people were spiritually dead; there seemed to be no hope for a comeback. But God showed him there would be a future resurrection. He took Ezekiel to look over a valley full of bones to demonstrate His power over death:
“…he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’
I said, ‘Sovereign LORD, you alone know.’
Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, “Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD’” (Ezekiel 37:1-6).
Death comes in many forms. Relationships die for lack of commitment, dreams fall by the wayside, opportunities pass, and ministries breathe their last without sufficient workers or enthusiasm. Some things die naturally when they have served their purpose. Forcing them to continue only prolongs the agony, like pumping oxygen through a corpse. But many deaths are needless, painful, agonizing, and full of foreboding. How can anybody come back to life after experiencing a loss like that? Only God knows.
I’ve experienced both kinds of death. I’ve been active in programs which served their purpose and died a natural death. I’ve had dreams that God allowed to die gradually so He could bring His perfect plan instead. However, I’ve also experienced other deaths that paralyzed my spirit. Only God can breathe new life into a soul devoid of life.
Ezekiel was a prophet to Israel whose people were spiritually dead; there seemed to be no hope for a comeback. But God showed him there would be a future resurrection. He took Ezekiel to look over a valley full of bones to demonstrate His power over death:
“…he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’
I said, ‘Sovereign LORD, you alone know.’
Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, “Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD’” (Ezekiel 37:1-6).
Are you feeling soul-dead because of sin, addiction, or neglect? You may believe there’s no way you’re ever going to live again. Only the Sovereign Lord knows what is possible, and He says, “Yes!” He has the power to put us back together, cover us with skin, and breathe life into our dead spirits. He tells us to speak the words of faith to what is now dead – “Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!” What a perfect way to begin the Easter season: with a personal resurrection, an infilling with the breath of God! You can come back to life and walk with Him, even in the valley of death. Speak the Word in faith and watch your soul rise up.
Lint Removed: Spiritual Death
Cleaning Process: Hear the Word of the Lord
Posts
Love the picture. Love the words.. :o)
ReplyDeleteBeth......all I could say is WOW! Thank you for sharing your amazing words my friend.
ReplyDeleteWe need to discern WHEN it is time to make a change and IF we should make one - and then pray for God to guide us. Another thought for me to ponder..."
ReplyDeleteTrish
Good point, Trish. We can't always tell in our own wisdom.
ReplyDelete