I am fascinated at the various avenues God uses to get us to the place where He is speaking. He speaks in so very many ways and He does it a lot. Our God is super chatty….and everything He wants to say to us, in us, and through us, is super important. Let me share with you how He led me to today’s blog topic.

In the last week, through music I have listened to, a conversation I had, and part of a book I am reading, the theme of Ezekiel 37- the valley of dry bones, was repeated in some way. I am quite attuned to repetition because God uses it to get my attention. I read Ezekiel 37 just a short while ago and asked the Lord to draw my attention to what He wanted me to grasp. I immediately was drawn to particular verses and then I sensed His urging to go to my study Bible and look there as well (I thought He was leading me to some commentary on the topic). As I turned to chapter 37, I noticed a hi-lighted passage from the previous chapter and looked at it. He said, “add those verses into your blog too”. It is like the best and most fun treasure hunt to see where He is leading!!

So, a message for me and, I hope, many others of His kids, today.

In chapter 37 of the book of Ezekiel, God is giving Ezekiel a vision. He was in a valley full of human bones that were very dry and God had a conversation with Ezekiel and through that conversation led Ezekiel to prophecy over the bones and they came back to life. It is a great read and I encourage you to read the entire chapter for yourself but the whole chapter is not where He drew my eye. Instead God led me to three particular verses.

Ezekiel 37:5NIV, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.”

Ezekiel 37: 9+10NIV, “Then he said to me, ‘Prophecy to the breath; prophecy, son of man, and say to it, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live’. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet – a vast army.”

As I sat with those passages He had led me to, I had an image of a memory flash into my mind of RA training in college on CPR certification. As soon as I saw that flash, I knew what He was telling me to share.

These are difficult times we find ourselves in and there is no given end in sight. We don’t know what tomorrow holds and fear and anxiety seem to creep in no matter how vigilant we are about turning things over to our God. One of the physical symptoms of fear, anxiety, and panic is that our breathing becomes rapid, which causes all sorts of other changes within us. What if we let God breathe for us? What if we let Him breathe His breath into our lungs? Can you imagine the God of peace calming and completely filling your lungs with His peace and comfort? His breath comes slowly and our heart-rate slows and our blood calms and His assurances flow through us. His breath makes us come to life again. We can take our eyes off the news, off the world, off the corona virus, and receive all that He is, even His breath. I can feel my own pulse slowing as He says, “Be still, let me even breathe for you, my children”.

He is so, so good. He has never for one second left you to survive alone in any of your days – including these current days. This is not a message that I thought up and just wanted to write because I am home and have a lot of time on my hands. This is a message that my Father led me to to extend comfort to us all. Just one more reminder that He is so close….close enough to be your very breath.

Before I close, here are a couple more beautiful verses that He wants us to hear today. Good, good words of promise and restoration and that He is on His throne!

Ezekiel 36: 33-36NIV, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. They will say,’This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited. Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.”

Breathe Him into your lungs today. Let His very breath calm you and fill you with the life-sustaining truth that He is everything you need today.