Hope to Revive Dry Bones

UV 824/10,000 Hope to Revive Dry Bones Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Ezekiel 37 v 4 People are like dry bones when we live without hearing the word of the Lord. “Dry bones” is our natural condition when we live without personal knowledge of God, our Creator and Redeemer. The “dryness” refers to being spiritually listless, unproductive, weak and hopeless. It is the Word that gives us hope of eternal life and abundant life in the here and now. When we hear the Word and believe it, we get connected with the Author and finisher of our faith as well as our life- Jesus. The breath of God- the Holy Spirit will enter our lives and bone will get connected to bone. Sinews and muscles will be added and we will be covered with skin. We will be complete in Christ. We will be fully alive even as we are dead to sin. It is faith, hope and love that connect the disparate bones or parts of our lives together in a wholesome and meaningful way. The Word of God is like spiritual oxygen in our nostrils. It will energize us in facing life’s challenges. Without the Word, we cannot explain the origin of life, the purpose of life or the direction we are moving in. Even our knowledge would be fragmented and without hope or meaning. In this vision, Israel or the world itself is like a valley of bones, like the ruins of a dead civilization. The Word of God brings health, vitality, meaning and coherence in an otherwise meaningless existence. When we see people who have no sense of hope or meaning or purpose in this life, we must pray, “ Dry bones hear the voice and Word of God and come alive.” The Word will end their famine of hope and lack of meaning and purpose in life. “Dry bones” is also a metaphor for unfulfilled hope or dreams. These will begin to take on flesh as we dwell, understand and apply the Word in our lives. Prophecy accompanied by the Word of God will revive our spirits, giving us hope and meaning. When people first receive the gospel of Christ, their lives shattered by hopelessness and misery come together for the first time. No wonder when Germany and Europe lay shattered after the Second World War, the Chancellor of Germany who succeeded Hitler told Billy Graham, the best known evangelist of our times, “ Outside the gospel of Christ, there is no hope for the world.” The bones also refer to the skeletal framework that supports our daily lives-our work, our professions, our activities, our network of relationships. When we hear the Word, even the skeleton of our mundane lives will be more blessed and stronger. The Word will lubricate the connecting joints as marrow in the bones produce the red blood cells that are needed to bring oxygen and nourishment to all parts of the body. Prateep V Philip