We’ve all heard Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous words: I have a dream. The truth is, we all have dreams.
Some dream of being a fighter pilot, swerving and flying through the air, feeling their stomachs drop with each turn.
Some dream of being a courtroom lawyer, where heated debates occur, listening for the judge to rap the gavel and say, “Order in the court.”
Some dream of being a wife and mother. Creating their home as a safe haven, a place where their husband and children are loved and nurtured.
Still others dream of being a writer, sitting in front of the computer, hearing the keys make a click-clack sound while words are being eked out on the screen in front of them.
Who places these deep-seated dreams within each of our hearts? God does.
God is our dream-giver and our dream-sustainer. He is our dream-nurturer and our dream-dweller.
Psalm 139:13 tells us we are knitted together by God. He created us with the dreams we have when we were formed in our mother’s wombs.
Wouldn’t He be who we turn to, then, when our dreams become wrought with self-doubt?
Wouldn’t God be Who we want to revive our dreams when they’ve become dusty?
Ezekiel 36:26 reads, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender responsive heart.”
In the next chapter, we find Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones. The Lord comes to him and asks if the dry bones can become living again. Ezekiel, wise priest that he is, says, “Lord, only you know the answer to that.”
From this point, the Lord tells Ezekiel to speak a prophetic word to the dry bones. Verses 4-6 read: Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
Ezekiel obeys the Lord’s command. As he does, he hears a rattling and sees the dry bones come together as skeletons. Then, muscles and flesh form over their bodies and skin covers them. Then, with another command from the Lord, they are filled with breath.
Isn’t this a glorious picture of the Lord breathing fresh life into dead or dying bones?
If He can do that with bones, what more could He do with our dreams?
When we are crushed with self-doubt, when we hear the enemy speak lies over our lives, when we feel our dreams are breaking apart — this is the time to turn to the only One who can breathe fresh life into them.
In Ezekiel 37:14a, The Lord says, “I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again.”
Perhaps, when we need a new spirit, the Lord has to lead us through the valley of dry bones so we can see He is the only One who can revive our dead or dying dreams.
Shared by: Michelle Nehrig
Wonderful reminder, Michelle, God can and does, breathe new life into out dreams which have gone dry. Grateful for your encouraging words this morning!
Michelle, whenever I read those words of promise around the New Covenant, I’m startled by the seemingly impossible feat the imagery describes: taking a dead and cold stony heart and transforming it into a living thing that pulses with the promise of life. May we persevere in our resolve to stick close to this miracle-working God as we pursue the dreams He has inspired.
Love this, Michelle! Your words point us to such promise and hope. Thank you! Yes, only God can revive our dead and dying dreams. I’m thankful He does! What a gift it is to journey alongside of you in this life. God bless you!
Thank you for the reminder of this verse and the hope that Christ can give us. I definitely needed this as I have been discouraged about my dreams, but I know with Christ…He can revive them!
Fantastic reminder to remember our dreams come from God.