A Vast Army

Ezekiel 37 relays one of the most awesome stories in the bible, that of the dry bones:

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.’”

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.  I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’”  So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Wow.  Tendons, flesh and bones do not breathe.  It takes the breath of God for them to come to life.  In fact, it takes hearing the Word and responding to the Word with movement, and then receiving the word – the breath of God – so that life appears.

In fact, when all of that takes place, the body stood up – a vast army.

I know many, and I too have walked there, who are just flesh and bones with no life.  They have no purpose, no reason to live, and breath of life.

We can speak the word of the Lord over them, and over ourselves, and respond to his breath. 

Ask God to breathe on those you love who are only existing – not living.  And ask God to breathe upon you too – in the areas of your body that are merely dry bones.

Then receive his word and stand up and come to life.