Breathe. Just Breathe...

 

Breathe, Just Breathe…

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. (Ezekiel 37:4-10 (NLT)

Breathe: To inhale and exhale air using the lungs. To inhale air or another gas. To exhale air or another gas.

This week has been a struggle. Ain’t gonna lie.

People with asthma know how much the atmosphere and other uncontrollable variables can dictate whether you are taking deep breaths and “living your best life now” or staying tired with only small, shallow ones.

Yeah, the struggle is real.

But that pales in comparison with those who truly do not have “the breath of life” in them. 

They are the “walking dead." The ones who aimlessly wander through life - trying to find profound purpose in physical activities, accumulation of things, increased wealth, or tan lines and altered hair color. 

Yet, for all of their “pursuit of life and happiness” they do not truly live. 

They do not have the “breath of life” in them. 

They do not have God.

Like the valley of dry bones in our text from Ezekiel they are a great band of possibilities. They are a mighty army buried beneath the dirt. They are an unequaled number of people who have never experienced new life…a resurrected life. They are dead.

They do not have the breath of God.

    They do not have the Spirit of God.

        They do not have life.

And neither do you unless God places breath (Spirit) within you and consequently gives you life. “Then Jesus breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’” (John 20:22). 

Remember our asthmatic family and friends? Many have a rescue inhaler. It can save their life when their own breath stops. When they can only exhale but cannot inhale it alone can bring the necessary breath we need to live.

God certainly is not a rescue inhaler but the analogy stands. And, if you are going through life and find that you are tired and out of breath…well, we think you know where you need to draw your next one from. That rescusitating, resurrecting breath of life.

Breathe deep our friends. Breathe deep. Why? Because, the Psalmist told us: “Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD! Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 150:6)