Dry Bones

Last year, I found the school skeleton and decided he needed to become the school mascot.  I dressed him up and hauled him around the building to a variety of places.  He attended PLC meetings, celebrated birthdays, joined movie parties, and served as principal for a couple hours.  He was just a bunch of dried old bones (really just plastic) that a couple of us used to bring life and laughter to the building. 

                

                   

I was reminded of Mr. Bones as I reflected on Sunday’s sermon.  Have you ever read Ezekiel 37? The prophet was led into a Valley filled with dried old bones.  God spoke to him and asked him if the bones could live.  He said only You know.  So God told him to prophesy to the bones and when the prophet did; the bones became covered with flesh and tendons.  Then God told him to prophesy to the bones to have life and breath.  The dead bones were hopeless yet God was able to breathe life into them.    

As I heard the story and sermon…my thoughts drifted to my world, my world being school.  Although my building has real skeletons, it is also filled with other “dead” bodies.  So many people I work with are living in this "dead" hopeless cut off valley described in Ezekiel.  The students I serve are so broken and worn out at such a young age.  I cannot fully describe the pain and heartache some of the students are facing.  The brokenness and lack of life is not just found in the students but also in other teachers.  Life circumstances sure have a way of beating us down. 

The sermon ended with the idea of us being the prophets to pray life into the hopeless dead.  My school, your school, your workplace and maybe even home are filled with “dead” hopeless bodies just going through life.  STOP and pray the breath of the Spirit sweeps over them and gives them life.  They NEED you to pray life into their souls.  Will YOU?  If you personally feel "dead" ask someone to lift you up in prayer.