'Dem Bones, 'Dem Bones, 'Dem Dry Bones!

I teach an adult Sunday School Class each Sunday and today we started a new series of lessons from the book of Ezekiel.

The first lesson had to deal with the vision Ezekiel had of a valley full of dry bones. This was a sight that was not only horrific but one that symbolized a hopeless situation. Not only had the warriors been massacred, but they had also been left, unburied, for the elements and scavengers to take their turn at removing all semblances of life. Defeat and Desecration - they both lead to the feeling of hopelessness and eventually death.

This whole story was symbolic of the Children of Israel who had experienced both defeat and desecration. Because of their choice to forget God and leave Him out of their life, they had been left as sheep without a shepherd. Some may be critical and say that they were just reaping what they had sown. Yes, that would be true, but God didn't view them that way. He sent Ezekiel to convey a message of hope and reconciliation to them.

To show them that there was hope, God performed a miracle with 'dem dry bones! He not only put flesh back on the bones, but performed a second step in the miracle. He breathed breath into the bodies making them come to life. A body is no good without the breath!

For Christians, breath is the Holy Spirit who gives us strength to stand firm in a wicked, lost, and dying world. The Spirit enables us to see people as God sees them. We only have to seek, ask, and wait. God is faithful to His children. Jesus, when seeing the multitude of people was moved with compassion and compared them to "sheep without a shepherd."

I know a lot of people who are just as dead, spiritually, as those bones. They have the head knowledge and know the words to say, but their lives are void of life. They lead hopeless lives which are basically centered around survival. They may even go through "religious" rituals such as going to church and maybe even reading their Bible from time to time, but that is the extent of it. If you look into their eyes, you don't see any life. They don't produce any fruit and have no direction or purpose in their life. How Sad!

Christians are in danger of becoming like the valley of the dry bones. We are drained of strength by life's situations and people who constantly demand our energy. We must ask God to fill us daily with His Spirit. The Spirit brings cleaning, renewal, refreshing, and strength, and He is the source of life for the Christian.

Feeling a little dry? Call upon God and He will hear and answer your prayer!! There is no better time than today!

Beth