Life Springs From Death

Ezekiel 37:1-14

I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, . . . I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD. (Ezek. 37:14)

THE FIRST YEAR MISSIONARIES, Robert and Mary Moffat ministered in Africa, they did not have one convert, and the mission board considered abandoning the work.When Mary went to church, she took her cooking pots with her lest the people steal them. Robert's manicured garden was also subject to thievery. Yet Mary's faith remained strong, as seen in a letter she wrote. "Send us a Communion service," she said. "We will need it someday." After ten years the awakening came and tribal dances were replaced with joyful worship. The Moffats' situation was similar to that of the nation of Israel. The Jews were scattered and in exile. Their future looked grim. The valley of dry bones depicts the nation in captivity, diffused and dead. Ezekiel was commanded to speak to the dry bones and as he did, slowly and miraculously, they came together and lived. This is a picture of Israel's spiritual and political restoration. There may be piles of dead bones in our lives. Do we lack joy as we sing the songs of faith? Do our prayers seem only words? Is the Bible no longer important to us, and our attendance in church haphazard? God is a God of life and growing things. We can search our hearts and honestly speak to Him about each "dead bone." Then He can infuse lifeless situations with His vibrant Spirit.

Jewell Johnson

Which "dry bone" in your life will you commit to God's Spirit today?