Even the embers from the fire of the Holy Ghost can spark new life. I love the story of the man who came back to life just by touching Elisha’s dead bones. He was completely dead – no life in him. Elisha had done 13 miracles at this point. Elijah had done 7. Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, and it was granted to him. One more miracle was to come when he died. How can someone do a miracle after he is dead?
This Sunday, I will be preaching at my church, and my direction right now is to preach out of Psalm 88. It is a Psalm of discouragement and talks about someone having a really bad day – really bad. Everything seems to be going wrong, and it is a lamentation over the situation the writer is in. But then along comes verse 10, which asks the question “Shall the Dead Arise to Praise You?” This question caused me to write a poem 4 years ago that rings out with praise. Yes, the dead shall arise to praise God. Here we see that happening.
In Jesus we see that happening. We were all dead in our trespasses and iniquities. But Jesus took upon hHimself all our sins, all our shame. all our guilt, all our wrongs. He stretched His arms out on the cross to die for you and me. He was laid in a borrowed tomb and rose again from the dead on the third day. He arose to praise God. He arose to give us a way to the Father. He arose to be with us forevermore. He arose so that we could all rise from the death of sin we were in, and live to praise God, for His mercy endures forever!
We serve a powerful God. A God that has all authority in heaven and earth. Perhaps today our Spirit lies dormant, barely breathing. Perhaps I have fallen back into some of my sinful ways. Perhaps I feel dead inside me because of the quilt and shame of my recurring sin. I shall not fear. By the power of Almighty God, I can rise from that death and praise Him once again. He will pick me up out of that miry clay, and set my feet on the rock to stay. He is my deliverer and my redeemer. I shall arise again and praise Him!
God's Maintenance Man 