Raising the Dead

"Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army."
Ezekiel 37:9&10

I have written before, about the valley of dry bones in the book of Ezekiel. It seems that the Lord keeps bringing this scripture to my mind, so again, I will take a look at a portion of it. You may remember that God took Ezekiel, in the spirit, to a valley filled with dry bones. These bones belonged to people who were long dead. God told Ezekiel to prophesy to them and as he did, miraculous things began to happen. Eventually, they came to life. It is at this point that we find our scripture for today.
    I wonder if the story of the dry bones can be applied to people we know. There are many who sit in our churches who have lost the life they once had. Their zeal for God has long diminished, their passion for him long gone. But in the days in which we are living, God is intending to bring those people back to life. I absolutely believe this. As the word of the Lord is prophesied in the church, there is a stirring happening among the dry bones. They are coming together, they are taking form, they are rising from the dust of the spiritual desert.
    The most crucial step in this resurrection is the new breath of life that they must receive. When Ezekiel spoke, the winds blew. This brought breath to the once dead. When we apply this to what God is doing today, we know that the wind is the Holy Spirit. This is what is so exciting about the days we are living in.. The Holy Spirit is breathing new life into  those who have lacked breath. There is new life happening and the Holy Spirit is the author. Notice that when the dead people received breath, according to Ezekiel, they stood up and became a mighty army. This is the purpose for God's work today. He is raising up an army that is his church. Those who have been dead are joining. The result is going to be a mighty spiritual army of people who are full of God's Spirit, the true breath of life.
    There may be some of you who feel a little like dry bones. The zeal for God, the passion for him and the fire of the Holy Spirit may seem to be far away. If this is you, then God is prophesying to you just as Ezekiel did to the dry bones. Get up, be rebuilt by God, and receive the fresh breath of the Holy Spirit. Then join the army. It is for God's purpose that you are raised to new life. The prophets of today are speaking. The challenge is going forth. Listen to what God is speaking and rise up. An army is being built and you have been called. Rise and receive new life. The army of God is not complete without you.