D-E-A-D

I love my Sunday School Class SO much.  We have been traveling through the Bible in a 52 week study by David Platt called Radical.  This has been quite a task because there are some things in the Old Testament that are hard to read and hard to understand.  I have been continually amazed at how even through the "tough" scriptures that God never fails to speak to each of us each and every week.

I was led to a group of scriptures a week or so ago in Ezekiel (37) where the Lord sends a message in the form of a prophecy through Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones.  Now, let me just stop right here for a minute.  Imagine standing on the top of a mountain looking out over a valley of dead people, but not just the recently deceased, these people have been dead a LONG time.  These are dry bones, bones that have been bleached from the sun. I mean D-E-A-D!!!

Now, imagine God saying to you, "Go down there and speak to these bones, telling them to RISE UP".  HA!  I have literally laughed at what HAD to have gone through Ezekiel's head at this one.  But nevertheless, Ezekiel did just a God instructed him to do.  He went down and told the bones to "Rise Up, that God would attach their organs back to them, that He would stretch skin over their bones, and that He would breathe life back into them."  Ezekiel HAD to be freaked out because as he spoke the wind started to blow and the bones started to MOVE!!!!!  And then just as God had told him, He reattached their organs and placed skin over their bones, but they had no breath in them.

So, God told Ezekiel again to speak to the wind, calling on the Four Winds to breathe life into these dead bodies.  So, the wind did just as He commanded it to do.  Now, I think at this point God would have had to call on the Four Winds to breathe life back into me because I am pretty sure I would be the one dead on the ground at this point.  What a brave soul Ezekiel was!  No wonder he believed!!!

As I kept reading, I came upon these following two parts of the story.  " ¹¹ Then God said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they're saying: 'Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there's nothing left of us.'  ^12-14 "Therefore, prophesy. Tell them, 'God, the Master, says: I'll dig up your graves and bring you out alive—O my people! Then I'll take you straight to the land of Israel. When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people, you'll realize that I am God. I'll breathe my life into you and you'll live. Then I'll lead you straight back to your land and you'll realize that I am God. I've said it and I'll do it. God's Decree.'"

WOW!!!  If I had not embarked upon this study and read this passage, I would have never had the overwhelming moment when I see myself in scripture.  This story has been about me so many times in my life... before I met my Jesus at the age of 18 and when I had no hope that my marriage could be restored!  I was the bones in the valley.  I was dried up, my hope was gone, there was nothing left of me.  BUT HALLELUJAH, my God dug up my grave and brought me out ALIVE.  He breathed HIS LIFE in me and I NOW LIVE!!!  THANK YOU, JESUS!!!!

Earlier in the passage, God asked Ezekiel if he thought these bones could live?  I want to ask you this same question, "Can these bones live?"  Bones that are dead, bones that are dried up, bones with no hope, bones that are withering away back to the dust from which they came?  Are they too far gone?  Can they REALLY live?  The answer to this question is "Yes, Yes, a Million Times YES!"  Sister, it doesn't matter how dry you are, how DEAD you feel, nor does it matter how long you have been lying there in that valley, GOD CAN and WILL lift you up out of that grave, out of that valley of death, out of that pit of dispair, breathe HIS life into you and

YOU
             WILL
                          LIVE!!!!!!!!!!