I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”
(read Ezekiel 37:1-14)
God called Ezekiel to give the Jewish people a message of hope and restoration. The people were captive in Babylon, and he told them that God would gather the Israelites from the ends of the earth and reestablish them in their land. The people had gone through a period of critiquing their faith, and God brought judgement on them. They had modified God’s laws to accommodate their cultural surroundings and inclination. They watered down their beliefs to the point that they chose their preferences over God’s.
The North American church is in trouble. Brothers and sisters in Christ are losing hope and walking away from the church. Many gatherings are filled with dry bones, void of life and hope. Many are held captive to cultural preferences that move them away from the God of the bible. Many seek to fit into the world around them and are deconstructing their faith, the new phrase coined by those wishing to rethink their faith so that it aligns with their desires. The church needs the breath of the Holy Spirit to revive our dry bones.
God asked Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?” “O Sovereign Lord,” I (Ezekiel) replied, “you alone know the answer to that.” (Ezekiel 37:3). Do you believe that God can bring life back to Christ-followers? Do you think that the Holy Spirit is given to followers of Christ to provide us with the power to be a witness for Christ? Do you believe our dry bones can be revived, freshly renewed, and empowered to be the person God created us to become?
The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our guide, our equipper, the one who will protect us, the one who breathes life into our dry bones. Ask for refilling, a revival. Not sure what to say? Just go before Him remembering Romans 8:26 says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”