Breath over scattered dry bones

I could not stop my tears the day I visited the Skelton’s of people killed in a church that would otherwise be a sanctuary. When a place of safety turns into a massacre, or a life-giving habitation leashes out death, then the reverse law is active. Since then, I ask myself whether the church uses the latent power of inner healing to bring about life from valley of dry bones (Ezek. 37). This scenario in the Rwanda memorial, the church was the valley of dry bones.

The people of Rwanda just like the Jews were scattered in several nations as refugees, in the book of Ezekiel chapter 37, the valley of bones is a statement on the hopelessness of a people in exile. “Then he said to me son of man these bones are the people of Israel. They say our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off. Therefore, prophecy and say to them, I will bring you back to the land of Israel. (Ezekiel 37:11 and 12)”.

The spirit of scatter is alive in the COVID pandemic, its desired end is to create dry bones, a people without hope, abandoned and alone. The ‘no church gathering phenomenon is a public necessity in this fight, yet churches must be creative enough to ensure there is no spiritual exiles.

The church mandate is to give hope even beyond death since history proves that Jesus rose from the dead and ushered hope to the dry bones of scattered and afraid disciples, who were hiding or should I say isolating.

Ezekiel was instructed to prophecy to dry bones and even call on the breath of God over them so they can live again as a great army. Breathe has become a great deal and several people are on ventilation, some do not fully recover as their lungs get affected. In as much as we need this oxygen to live, it is time for the church to call on the breath of God that brings a new birth of the nation of God, a royal priesthood a chosen nation to declare the praises of God,

In April 2011, as the nation of Rwanda was commemorating its seventeenth genocide aftermath, I came face to face with the two faces of inner human suffering of hopelessness and dryness caused by the valley of dry bones in Rwanda that was created by the genocide.

On this specific day, while I was at church a young boy entered my office, I could read in his eyes that there was pain and distress. As soon as I gave him a seat, he rushed out with an elaboration how his father had participated in killing his neighbors, he is now overwhelmed with guilty and wonders if God ever forgives but also whether he takes away that guilty. I worked with him on that subject but realized he needed a divine breath over him to resurrect hope in his life.).

As soon as the boy got out of my office, an elegant girl walked in gracefully, in her eyes was scorn and contempt. I quickly called her by name, I knew or thought she was doing well at university, she had received a full scholarship and must be happy but alas, it turned out that she was fuming because she was the only survivor of her family, and this day brought memories to her of her deceased family. She told me she did not see why the killers are given all the liberty to walk around and to demand forgiveness, they do not deserve any. I spoke with her and told her, ‘You have come to the blood of Jesus that speaks better words than the blood of Abel. The blood of Abel called out for vengeance, but Jesus’ blood calls out for forgiveness (Hebrews 12:24.

May you be taken by the spirit of the Lord to the valley of dry bones, to the lonely and scattered people of God, whose hope is dwindling due to the adverse circumstances, may you be a prophet to the people and usher hope and release the breath of life over them.

You are the church and you have latent power to lift valleys and turn dry bones into a vast army, if the nation of Rwanda is alive and vibrant today, your situation too will change no matter how dry and low you may be filling. The church should not have dry bones any more but breath life and healing to the lonely and scattered sheep who harbor inner pain of bitterness, unforgiveness, rejection and depression.