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The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’ (Ezekiel 37:1-14)
Dear Friend; don't you love autocorrect, or Otto Korect as some call it? I had to type in the title twice and you can guess why. If you cannot, well, think of the structure that holds water back; something beavers build... Let me begin with a special prayer request. My very dear friend and longtime colleague in ministry, The Rev. Thom C. Elliott is near death. He has been bleeding throughout the night and his nurse says he may be brain dead. Please pray for his comfort and safe passage from this life to the presence of the Lord. Please also pray for his children, Eric and Bekah. Bekah is at Thom's side and Eric is coming this morning with his mother, Kathy. Rev. Elliott is very special to my life and ministry as he is to Nellie. We've known Thom for some 38 years.
The above passage is powerful. You probably heard it or read it and may have heard a sermon or two about it. And the title is from an old spiritual from the 1920s. I'm attaching a kid's video from YouTube below so you can see and hear it. As ancient as this passage is, the truth and power behind it is still as relevant as it was when the prophet heard it and recorded it from God. In the midst of death, God can bring life through His Holy Spirit. And not only bringing bodies back to life, but to raise up an entire army to do what God needs done. This passage came during a hopeless period in Israel's history. The only thing being done was to dig up graves for those who were dying. And this was in the physical and spiritual sense. But, isn't it like God, to speak a word of hope during the hopeless times? And as we celebrate the power and presence of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and present today for our Church, can we not preach and share the same thing? To sum up, we can say, God is not through with us yet. The resurrected, Spirit-filled and Spirit-led army is needed to battle sin. The Spirit brings hope and strength and leads us to share that with those who need it the most. As I said in yesterday's devotional, this is the work of the Church. We, as the Church, are to be that army, resurrected from despair and doubt, from defeat and desperation, to strength, hope, and victory. Our message is one that can reach those not yet in relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Think about your personal situation. Do you feel as if you're walking in a dry desert? The greenery has faded to brown and died? You have a thirst that seems you can never quench, and a hunger that needs satisfying? You look around and you see the bones of failed attempts for life? This seems like the last chapter of most movies or novels; but it is but the beginning scene of new life as shared by God. Countless have been the testimonies of those who thought all was lost, but God stepped in, and new life and new purpose and meaning came to those; and this has become their story. And this can be your story as well.
PRAYER: Loving God, in the midst of death, bring life. In the heart of despair, bring hope. In the dryness of times, bring the floods of Your grace, and raise us up so that we can raise others up. Father, I pray for Your will to be done in the life of Thom; bring comfort and peace to those who love him. Receive my thanks for a faithful witness and life dedicated to Your service. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Even in the face of death, hope arises; let it flow over you today!
Eradio Valverde
