Through the eyes of men, it seems there’s so much we have lost
As we look down the road where all the prodigals have walked
One by one, the enemy has whispered lies
And led them off as slaves

But we know that You are God, Yours is the victory
We know there is more to come
That we may not yet see
So with the faith You’ve given us
We’ll step into the valley unafraid, yeah

As we call out to dry bones, come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts, come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes, let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones, come alive

God of endless mercy, God of unrelenting love
Rescue every daughter, bring us back the wayward son
And by Your spirit, breathe upon them, show the world that You alone can save
You alone can save

As we call out to dry bones, come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts, come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes, let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones, come alive

So, breathe, oh, breath of God
Now breathe, oh, breath of God
Breathe, oh, breath of God, now breathe

Breathe, oh, breath of God
Now breathe, oh, breath of God
Breathe, oh, breath of God, now breathe

As we call out to dry bones, come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts, come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes, let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones, come alive

We call out to dry bones, come alive
Oh, come alive!

Come Alive! (Dry Bones)  Sung by Lauren Daigle, Songwriters: Benj Pasek / Justin Paul

Allow this song to play in the background as we read…

Ezekiel 37, The Message

Breath of Life

37 ^1-2 God grabbed me. God’s Spirit took me up and set me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them—a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain—dry bones, bleached by the sun.

³ He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Master God, only you know that.”

⁴ He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones: ‘Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!’”

^5-6 God, the Master, told the dry bones, “Watch this: I’m bringing the breath of life to you and you’ll come to life. I’ll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You’ll come alive and you’ll realize that I am God!”

^7-8 I prophesied just as I’d been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them.

⁹ He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, ‘God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!’”

¹⁰ So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army.

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.’”

* * *

^15-17 God’s Message came to me: “You, son of man: Take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, with his Israelite companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph—Ephraim’s stick, together with all his Israelite companions.’ Then tie the two sticks together so that you’re holding one stick.

^18-19 “When your people ask you, ‘Are you going to tell us what you’re doing?’ tell them, ‘God, the Master, says, Watch me! I’ll take the Joseph stick that is in Ephraim’s hand, with the tribes of Israel connected with him, and lay the Judah stick on it. I’ll make them into one stick. I’m holding one stick.’

^20-24 “Then take the sticks you’ve inscribed and hold them up so the people can see them. Tell them, ‘God, the Master, says, Watch me! I’m taking the Israelites out of the nations in which they’ve been exiled. I’ll gather them in from all directions and bring them back home. I’ll make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and give them one king—one king over all of them. Never again will they be divided into two nations, two kingdoms. Never again will they pollute their lives with their no-god idols and all those vile obscenities and rebellions. I’ll save them out of all their old sinful haunts. I’ll clean them up. They’ll be my people! I’ll be their God! My servant David will be king over them. They’ll all be under one shepherd.

^24-27 “‘They’ll follow my laws and keep my statutes. They’ll live in the same land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren will live there forever, and my servant David will be their prince forever. I’ll make a covenant of peace with them that will hold everything together, an everlasting covenant. I’ll make them secure and place my holy place of worship at the center of their lives forever. I’ll live right there with them. I’ll be their God! They’ll be my people!

²⁸ “‘The nations will realize that I, God, make Israel holy when my holy place of worship is established at the center of their lives forever.’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Whew, there is so much to take in, friends!  Our journey through Ezekiel has taught us that God wants our full attention.   God wants to give new life to dead men and women walking around doing whatever the culture wants them to do which leads to less than His best.  God is a jealous God because of His love for us.  His jealousy is not in what we have, it is in knowing what we could have if we would turn our attention from our self made idols of distraction to a committed relationship with Him.  We cannot serve idols and God.  We must love and worship God alone.  God wants us to love Him back.  Let us give God what He wants and deserves—all our love and our highest praise!  Amen?!

We also learn what God hates.  Division, idol worship, vile obscene living in rebellion against all that is not God.  He knows that will only end in abusive lives that will end in death.  God wants us to live!

Today we learn that God can make dry bones in the desert come alive!  Wait, what?!  Yes!  If God can breathe new life with the breathe of His Spirit into dry bones, laying in the desert wilderness; He can and certainly will breathe new life into us—even if we feel so low and humbled that we can’t possibly face God because of our sins.  We are right where He wants us to be—humbled—it’s where God does His best work in us! 

Have we forgotten?  God is the one who gave Adam, his first created human, his first breath!

Come alive!  Lean into the Hope!  Run to the Father who sent His Son to die for ALL our sins.  There is obviously nothing on earth that God can not forgive in us.  God is the God who raises dry bones and puts sinew and meat on those bones making them whole and holy once more!  God is the God who turns things around.  And He’ll do it again…so we (and the nations) will know He is God. 

Lord,

My breath is taken away as I read and sing about your power through your Holy Spirit bringing life from dry bones of dead living!  You are God.  We are not. So, I will put all my life in your hands because I desire what you want for me—LIFE and more life—life everlasting!  Thank you for saving my life and making me whole.  Thank you for bringing me alive!  May my life reflect your glory—so others will know that you are God!

In Jesus Name, for Your Glory, Amen!