Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today let’s close out the week looking at God’s muscle restoration.

Today’s scripture, Ezekiel 37:4‭-‬10 (NLT) says…
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’” So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

Consider…
Life isn’t always peaches and cream. Sometimes we may go through things that leave us broken and without hope. This was the case with the Children of Israel who had lost hope during their captivity in Babylon.

Today’s scripture was God’s message of encouragement and hope. In Ezekiel 37:11‭-‬14 (NLT) God clarified…
Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. 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!’”

Now you may be wondering how is Ezekiel’s prophecy to Israel relevant to us? Allow me to direct you to 2 Corinthians 5:16‭-‬19 (NLT) which says…
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.

I count at least three comparisons…

• Dry bones / old life gone
• Restored life / new life begun
• Bringing the people in captivity back home / reconciling the world to Himself

Don’t ever dismiss the old testament’s relevance to us. I say that because God uses the old testament to reveal His nature and character, which never changes.

Having said that, God wants us to know that He’s always been, and continues to be in the resurrection business!

Ezekiel 37:12 testifies…
the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again.

And John 11:25 (NLT) testifies…
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

In yet another parallel between the old and new testament we learn that God brings dead things back to life.

Before you think this only pertains to physical death, based on the two scriptures I just referenced, consider Colossians 2:13 (NLT) which says…
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.

When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, God says we are resurrected from death to life.

Because we’re made alive in Christ, we are liberated from a sin-filled life of gloom and doom. Romans 8:1‭-‬2 (NLT) explains…
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Writing that made me realize that before Christ came into our lives, we were just dead people spiraling to eternal death.

I just thought of another parallel between Ezekiel’s restoration prophecy and Christ’s resurrection promise. Both reveal that God in His mercy covers us (flesh) and in His grace strengthens us (muscles).

Remember Christ’s blood covered our sin, and His resurrection gave us the strength to live free from it.

As I am writing this I hear L.A. Mass Choir singing…

I was sinking deep in sin
Far from the peaceful shore
Very deeply stained within
Sinking to rise no more

But the master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me
Now safe am I

Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me

The Holy Spirit is emphasizing that we should never lose hope because God is continuously restoring us. 2 Corinthians 4:16 (NLT) encourages…
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

Therefore, the next time you’re tempted to give up on God, just hum Darwin Hobbs’ reminder, which is…

God is able to do
Just what he said he would do
He’s gonna fulfill every promise to you
Don’t give up on God
‘Cause He won’t give up on you
He’s able
He’s able

Finally, the Holy Spirit is guiding me to remind you that we are jars of clay. 2 Corinthians 4:7‭-‬10 (NLT) expresses it this way…
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

So my fellow clay jar, the next time you feel broken and hopeless, remember God is the Potter who made you and He can, and wants to put you back together again.

The Holy Spirit also prescribes Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 (NLT)
when you are feeling stressed and tense…
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Today, God is telling us that whenever you’re feeling lifeless and weak, remember Ezekiel and the ‘Valley of Dry Bones’, when He promised and restored flesh and muscles and breathed new life back into dry bones. Thus, no matter how ‘dead dead’ your situation may be, God can give you a new reality.

Let the ‘Valley of Dry Bones’ encourage you to sing the lyrics of Psalmist Tye Tribbett to the dead places in your life…

If He did it before
He can do it again
Same God right now
Same God back then

Today’s main encouragement is to give you hope in advance of when life leaves you hopeless. When all hope is gone, refer back to today’s reminder that like those dry bones, God promises to…

• Recover you
• Renew your strength
• Restore you back to life

It’s only in a dead place that you can discover God’s resurrection grace!

Never despair what God can repair. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

Today’s song is…
The Potter’s House

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)