He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.
~Ezekiel 37:4-5 (CSB)
Only our almighty and all-powerful Lord can breathe life into dry bones and make them live. His breath carries with it the promise of the restoration of Israel and the resurrection of the dead.
He is the God who breathed life into the dust of the ground and created Adam. (Genesis 2:7) Job, despite his tribulations, gave glory to God for the very breath of life that was within him. (Job 33:4)
Breath has received heightened attention and concern in this age of pandemic that we have all found ourselves in. We cover our faces, cautious not to give or receive illness through our breath. We pray for the sick, that the disease does not settle in their lungs and steal their breath away. We pray for protection for our families and ourselves.
We are certainly in trying times, and it is only natural to experience some fear. Caution, self-isolation, and handwashing are the watchwords of our day.
But we serve a God who is sovereign over every breath we take. Our very breath is from Him, sustained by Him, and full of promises and hope.
We were given Holy Scripture, Spirit-breathed, for training in righteousness and equipping us for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) This scripture is living and active (Hebrews 4:12), something that could only be true if God’s very breath of life is in it.
This breath of life is a gift we receive at birth, and a gift we receive again through the Holy Spirit, just as the resurrected Jesus Himself came to His disciples and breathed the Holy Spirit on them. (John 20:22)
Through this breath and this Spirit, the disciples were given the power to forgive sins, which was the gift of new life to all who heard and received the message of the Gospel.
This gift continues to be shared around the world, more contagious and enduring than any virus, giving life and breath instead of taking them. For our enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but our Lord has come to give life everlasting. (John 10:10)
It may seem more difficult to rest in the Lord in these times, and it is comforting to know that our God walked this earth in frail human flesh, and understands our weaknesses. (Hebrews 4:15) He cares for us! (1 Peter 5:7) Satan wants to use our fears and hardships to destroy our faith, but God will use these things to strengthen it. We can find hope in this truth.
God has inscribed us on the very palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16) and will usher us into His Kingdom in His due time, a timing we can trust to be perfect. Like those dry bones in the desert that the prophet saw, we too receive God’s breath of life – we too receive anew the breath of life that was lost when Adam and Eve fell from grace, and sin entered the world.
Lord, we thank you for the breath of new life and resurrection, and we join in with all created things that have breath and praise You, our Lord! (Psalm 150:6)