A Call to Celebrate

Ezekiel 37 is like an unforgettable scene from an incredible film. I’m not much of a movie buff, so it’s hard for me to make a rightful comparison, but this passage blows my mind…can you see it happening? There’s the first miracle of the power of God bringing these dead skeletons to life by joining bone to bone, causing tendons and flesh to appear, and covering them in skin. Then, there’s the second miracle of the power of God breathing life into these dead bodies so that they would not just exist in the physical world, but that they would rise to their feet and really come to life – mind, body, and soul.

There was a period of time in my life where my bones were dried up and my hope was gone…I was cut off (verse 11). I was in sin and totally separated from God. I didn’t know Him, didn't fear anyone or anything, and this reality led me into cyclical destruction. I was physically alive, meaning, I had bones, connected by tendons, covered in flesh and skin, but my spirit was dead. I know I run the risk of sounding dramatic, but if we really believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, eternal death and separation from the Father is a spiritual reality that ultimately culminates as a result of how we live in our reality right now.

Whenever we sing that song "Hosanna," I love getting to that bridge because my face gets all twisted up, my hands are stretched to the heavens, and I'm shouting with the rest of the congregation, "Break my heart for what breaks yours!!! Everything I am for your Kingdom’s cause!!!” My stance while singing those lyrics is as such because even in times when I don’t “feel” it, I want so badly for it to be true. In this current season, there's been a lot of stuff weighing on my heart and though it's not "pleasant," I'm so thankful because I've never been more convinced that God loves me (Prov 3:12) and that God's heart is always breaking for those who don't yet know Him. So, I want to put on the cloak of Samuel who considered it a sin not to pray (1 Sam 12:23) and do so in a way that's faithful, challenging, and humble.

Currently in the middle of this book called Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin and in it, he says this:

“The gospel is not merely one of the many possible themes we can touch on as we come to worship God. It is the central and foundational theme. All our worship originates and is brought into focus at the cross of Jesus Christ. Glorying in Jesus Christ means glorying in his cross. That doesn’t mean looking at some icon or two pieces of wood nailed together. Nor does it imply that every song we sing has the word cross in it. It has little to do with church gatherings that are more like a funeral than a celebration.”

How easy it is to lose the joy of salvation. I was once dead, but now I'm alive! I was once among the skeletons in the valley of dry bones, but now I'm on my feet, no longer an enemy of God, but part of His army. Lord, help me to commit to celebrating my salvation with thanksgiving, praise, awe, and wonder. Increase my heart to feel for the things that break Yours and help us to remember that no matter what circumstances we're facing, the joy of our salvation is always the higher promise of greater things to come.