I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the very modern hymns.
Today’s song is Come Alive (Dry Bones) from 2014.
Some Old Testament books are tough and tedious to read. I would generally suggest that people start with the New Testament and dip in and out of the Old Testament for reference purposes. I have read through the whole Bible several times, but my concern would be that people would just abandon reading the Bible if they get bogged down in the Old Testament. But even books, such as Ezekiel, have inspired hymns and gospel songs. An example is the section on a vision of dry bones coming together and the Holy Spirit breathing life into them, one of the Old Testament hints about the coming of the Holy Spirit and the resurrection. This is emphasized in the New Testament, yet many are still greatly inspired and encouraged by Ezekiel’s Old Testament vision. An older gospel song is based on the passage.
Ezekiel 37:4-6
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
So today’s hymn is a 21st century reflection on the passage. When we think of coming alive or coming to life, we can apply it in different ways. When the Lord returns, we’ll see millions of bodies being physically raised. But even in this current life, we come to life spiritually when we repent and believe. And as individuals, churches, or wider communities, we can grow spiritually cold and lifeless, which is why we pray that the Holy Spirit would send a revival.
Here’s an old hymn about pleading with the Lord for a revival. What I love about YouTube is that I can type the name of a hymn, and discover people from any part of the world singing it to me.
Today’s song applies the passage to people who have drifted from God. And the prayer is that God would send His Holy Spirit to turn them around and that, like the prodigal song, they would return to God.
Here are some other versions of today’s hymn. I’m still trying to figure out which ones are the same song, but the broad theme is the same anyway 😀:
Hibernia Gospel 