Dry Bones Come to Life!

In my daily reading I came across, once again, a passage of scripture in Ezekiel that struck my heart today. Rarely do I copy large sections of scripture for you to read, but this one paints a picture you should not miss. Read on:

A Valley of Dry Bones - Ezekiel 37

1 The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones.2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out.3 Then he asked me, "Son of man, can these bones become living people again?"
  "O Sovereign Lord ," I replied, "you alone know the answer to that."  4 Then he said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, `Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord !5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord .'"  7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons.8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.  9 Then he said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, `This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.'"  10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

Do you ever feel like you are lying in a valley and are nothing more than a heap of dry bones? No life breath left in you? Stripped of all that made you worth anything to anyone?

Well I do!

But this passage of scripture gives me hope! 

As I close my eyes and picture this vision that God gave to Ezekiel, the sheer power of the Lord and His words wash over me again. These dry bones heard the words of the Lord and came back to life. His words put flesh back on the bones and caused life giving breath to be in their bodies once again. But it doesn't stop there. 

The last line of verse 10 doesn't say that they went about their mundane, everyday lives - it says they became a great army! An ARMY!

When I really dig in to God's word and breath in the life that they afford to me, I feel strong and able to conquer the world. I certainly don't feel that way on my own, especially when I am not hearing His life giving words.

God's word helps you conquer _____________ (you fill in the blank). He WILL take your dry bones and give them life once again, but you have to be in His word to hear them, to absorb them, to breathe them in and to let them permeate your being. 

Breathe them in today. 

If you need some accountability, start a reading plan on Youversion. It's free and you can list someone to get emails of your reading progress. If you don't have anyone to be accountable to - feel free to put my name in there (jtouchberry@mcfbc.org). Do what ever it takes to fill yourself with His words of life once again!