Are you counting down the days until spring? It was seventy-seven degrees here on the first day of March and I actually gave some thought to pulling out a pair of shorts. It was beautiful. We haven’t had a cold, hard winter this year; however, spring can never come too soon for me. I love springtime.

I saw some flower bulbs the other day. They almost looked like onions. They were brown, stringy and just plain ugly. They needed to be buried in the ground so they could begin the growth process. When they burst forth, they will be beautiful flowers, but as bulbs they were anything but beautiful.
We are like those bulbs at times. We may be dead inside or at least feel that way. Maybe it’s not us, but we feel like we’ve been praying for something, really contending for it, and we’ve yet to see any change. We feel like our hopes and dreams are dead. To quote one of my favorite pastors, Charles Sineath, “Good News, Good News, Good News!” Jesus brings new life to dead things [Ezekiel 37:1-14]. Romans 6:4 says “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” [John 11:25].
With Jesus, we have the assurance of new life. That’s new life for ourselves and new life for the things we’ve been face down contending for without seeing a response. Dead things covered by the blood of Jesus burst forth. Just as Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and called him out of the tomb, He also calls us forth to new life [John 11:43]. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Hallelujah! Jesus makes all things new [Revelation 21:5].
What do you need Jesus to breathe life into? What do you need Him to make new? Is it a dead marriage? Is it a dead relationship with a child or a friend? Is it the hope He’s heard your prayers and will respond? Hang on, sweet friend. Everything may appear dead, but with Jesus on the scene new life is just a matter of time, patience, and surrender.