On November 1st, I had a dream. In the dream, my sister had a still-born baby girl. She kept the baby, dressing her and caring for her for 4 days as if she was alive. Instead of praying for her to be raised from the dead, we all mourned her loss and got ready for her funeral. When I woke up I knew the 4 days was a very important part of the dream.
My sister’s name means glory. The baby represents the promises and plans The Lord has made to us, that we’ve been carrying and stewarding. Some of them have been birthed, but because they might look different than what we thought or wanted, we have not recognized them or even stepped into them. We keep carrying them, but they are fruitless. We have let them go, we gave up on them. We have not breathed life into them, we have stopped prophesying into them. We have lost hope, and have thrown in the towel!
But The Lord Is telling us to pick them back up and speak life over those dry bones! Even if in the natural, it seems completely impossible and way too late. The baby had been dead for 4 days and according to Jewish belief, the soul of the departed person hung around the body for 3 days after his or her death. It was well known in those days, that a deceased person could come back to life during the three-day period, but not after. On the 4th day, the spirit would go to the Sheol and there was no hope of it returning. If the raising was performed within those 3 days, the Jews would have claimed that there was no miracle involved, as the spirit had simply returned to the body within the requisite time.
By the time Jesus reached Bethany, 4 days had passed and the body had started decomposing, evident by the stench referenced. By performing the miracle on the 4th day after Lazarus’ death and burial, Jesus was demonstrating his power and authority over death itself.
Isaiah 66:9
I am asking you if those dry bones can live! I know they can, do you? Don’t you know that I have given you authority to speak over that which is dead and command it to come to life? Not only will I revive those dry places, but I will breathe my breath of life into them through you! What you have not been able to accomplish because you felt stuck, overwhelmed, and unmotivated, I will cause you to accomplish it in no time. Because as you wait on Me, you are being strengthened and renewed! Just as Elijah waited in a birthing position, for the rain to come and was mantled with supernatural strength and speed, so will you! All I want is your obedience and trust, and you will see the impossible become possible when you partner with Me!
Ezekiel 37:1-6
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. 2 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. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” 4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 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.”
7 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. 8 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. 9 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.” ’ ” 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
1 Kings 18:44-45
44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab,‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ” 45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on The Rising of the Esthers
Featured Image by wendy CORNIQUET from Pixabay
