Dreams Alive!

The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."

Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!' 'Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. "I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." ' "

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live. " ' " So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus say the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

"Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. "I will put my Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.' " Ezekiel 37:1-14 NKJV.

Promises of restoration and deliverance. The Lord had assured the house of Israel that He would gather and return them to their own land, despite the great dispersion in the land of their conqueror, the Babylonians; and the great weight of dispiritedness that they have suffered in their hearts as a result of the loss of their homeland and sovereignty. The vision of the valley full of dry bones of dead men reflected the state of the Jews in the extremity of the loss of hope, faith, will and spirit.

And in their state of deadness, the Lord spoke through the prophet Ezekiel. But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. " Luke 18:27 NKJV. The things that seem impossible to us, God says possible. The folks who have given up, God says not yet. The dreams that lie buried six feet under, God says dig it up! Come on! Come alive! God has created each of us unique. Each with a different dream. Each endowed with a different gift. Each planted with a different heart and crafted with different skills. To Him, every single one of us matters. Every single soul matters to Him.

Lest you are on the verge of giving up, throwing in the towel, walking away; stop right where you are, turn around, and give it all to Jesus. Why? Well, only because life does not end at a disappointment, a heartbreak, or a death. He is not done with you yet. Most of all, because as lofty as it sounds, we need to keep the dream alive. Dare to dream.

(For the record, my mum is living out the desire of her heart right now. She left for her first mission trip last Saturday. Let me tell you, I am mighty pleased. She has given her whole life to being available to the family. It is high time that she does something for herself. Take that bold step to anchor in and fulfill the very purpose that God has created her for.)
Go Ma, let's keep the dreams alive.


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