“Can These Bones Live?!”       Ezekiel 37:1-14

This August marks my 49th spiritual birthday!  I by faith accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord on August 7th, 1977!  I came from being spiritually dead and without hope to becoming born again and full of hope!  I simply believed and received what Jesus did on my behalf that I could not do for myself 

(cf. Jn 3:15-18; Ro.6:23; Ro.10:9,13) - “God demonstrates His own love toward us,  in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!” (Ro.5:8).

In February I will be celebrating my 65th physical birthday.  I must admit, my body is not as strong at 64 going on 65 as it was at 15!  But by the grace of God, my spirit is stronger and more mature now then it was at 15!  God desires us to grow stronger in our spirit so we don’t lose hope.  Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:16, “…we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day!”  As I grow older though I realize there is more out of my control than in my control, and by the grace of God I believe this is God’s intent so that we learn to trust in Him more than in ourselves or others.  Yes, God uses people, and He expects us to do our part, but it is the Spirit of God working in us and through us.  If we are honest though, I think sometimes we lose hope if certain things will every change or if certain things will ever get better?  I think sometimes too we have to lose all hope for God to reveal Himself.  Sometimes we have to let go and let God have His way.  Ezekiel was a prophet to the nation Israel during their captivity in Babylon.  All hope was gone!  God gave Ezekiel prophetic visions of the future, one of which was a valley of “dry bones.”

National hope was dead but God was going to raise them up again - “I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live!”  God has always had a people and He always will - if you are born again you are too the Israel of God - spiritual Israel, and He will not abandon you nor will He forget His promises.  You can find peace in the valley, because - your God is able!  You can have hope in a hopeless situation, because - your God is able! There is so much hope in this great nugget of truth found in Ezekiel 37, all can not be said in this short writing, but let it be known, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3: 20-21).

Can these bones live? - Yes, they can says the Lord God!

“For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” - Acts 20:27

Pastor Rodney