Christian music fans were first introduced to American Idol alum Lauren Daigle as she sang the gorgeous harmonies on Centricity label mate Jason Gray's hit single "Nothing is Wasted." Then we were treated to her original Christmas song "Light of The World" and her hit title track to her debut EP "How Can it Be," which were both featured as behind the song devotionals.

Like their other developing artists, Unspoken and Carrollton, Centricity has introduced Lauren Daigle with her debut EP How Can it Be, which is one of my Top 20 Worship Albums of 2014. Her latest song "Come Alive (Dry Bones)" is also featured in a live format as the title track on the CentricWorship album Come Alive.

I hear in Lauren's stellar vocals a sincere yearning for Jesus and thankfulness in her heart for God's mercy and grace. I'm completely convicted by the strong lyrics and find immense comfort in this song filled with biblical truth. Lauren's tender vocals take you on an emotional journey that gives me goosebumps every time I hear this song. I am especially comforted by the truth of the lyrics: "Oh God of endless mercy, God of unrelenting love, rescue every daughter, bring us back the wayward son. By Your spirit breathe upon them, show that You alone can save." I had the chance to speak with Lauren about the song.

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

This is the first song I wrote for the album. I was brand new to songwriting and Nashville, and I walked into a songwriting appointment with Michael Farren. I didn't know him. We started talking about his teenage daughters and how they were starting to date. I told him about people I had dated in different seasons of life, and we got onto the topic of the Prodigal Son and what it is like as a mother and father to grieve for their son and go back and forth as to whether or not their child is going to be a Christian and be devoted to the Lord or not. That was similar to someone I was involved with at that time.

I came across Ezekiel 37, and it penetrated my heart. I realized that this passage is the answer, as the Lord has the power to breathe life into the dry places of our lives and of our hearts. He can come and call those dry bones to be raised to life, just like the army did in that passage. What really stood out to me was that not only did God ask Ezekiel to prophesy, it showed me an intercession. The Lord asks us to intercede for our brothers and sisters when we see they are fallen, and for them to not grow weary but to stay steadfast and keep pursuing God's plans for them. Just stay faithful in prayer.

That's what this person's parents did. They were always praying for their children, and it is a beautiful image. Michael and I prayed and wrote this song as a call to the Church to not grow weary in the actions of those who may have fallen away from the Lord, but to press on in faith that in God's time it will be for our good and His glory.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Luke 15:21-24 (MSG): "When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech:  'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.' But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time."

Ezekiel 37:4-10 (NKJV): Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!  Thus says the Lord God to these bones: 'Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.'" So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: 'Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.'" So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

What is the takeaway message?

I can't take credit for this, but I just heard a beautiful depiction of one facet of what the breath of God is. In Genesis, it talks about when God was making Adam. It says He was forming Adam in His image, and then He breathed into his nostrils, and that's when he was given life. That's when Adam came alive. The word used for breath is 'H.' When you look at when God changes Abram to Abraham, He adds the "h." When he transforms Sarai to Sarah, He adds the "h." God breathes into them, and that's when they become the mother and father of all generations, including the lineage of Jesus Christ. God breathed into the lineage of His own Son. Whenever the breath of God comes along, it is when power is ignited into the life of a Christian.

For the song, we wanted to capture that after interceding and coming alongside those who are weak in the faith or haven't ever known God, all we need is God's breath. He has resurrection life in His breath. That's where the bridge came from. It was the recognition of the power that comes from the breath of God. With His power, with His breath, everything was changed and restored and rejuvenated and brought back to life. All the dry places, all the dead hearts, all that seems to be going wrong becomes right when God breathes on us.

I also had the privilege to sing this for the CentricWorship retreat. It was incredible and neat to see how everyone was empowered and moved by the song. It is just a call for the Church.

Lyrics:
Through the eyes of men
It seems there's so much
We have lost

As we look down the road
Where all the prodigals
Have walked
And one by one
The enemy has whispered lies
And led them off as slaves

But we know that You are God
Yours is the victory
We know there is more to come
That we may not yet see
So with the faith You've given us
We'll step into the valley unafraid, yeah

As we call out to dry bones
Come alive, come alive
And we call out to dead hearts
Come alive, come alive
Come up out of the ashes
Let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones come alive

Oh God of endless mercy
God of unrelenting love
Rescue every daughter
Bring us back the wayward son
By Your spirit breathe upon them
Show that You alone can save
You alone can save

As we call out to dry bones
Come alive, come alive
And we call out to dead hearts
Come alive, come alive
Come up out of the ashes
Let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones come alive, Yeah

So breathe, oh breath of God
Now breathe, breath of God
Breathe oh breath of God
Now breathe

Oh breathe, breath of God
Now breathe, oh breath of God
Breathe, oh breath of God, now breathe

As we call out to dry bones
Come alive, come alive
And we call out to dead hearts
Come alive, come alive

Come up out of the ashes
Let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones come alive, Yeah
We call out to dry bones...come alive

This song is a beautiful tribute to the truths of two very encouraging Bible passages, the Prodigal Son parable and Ezekiel 37's "dry bones" prophecy. The opening stanza addresses how the enemy whispers lies and seeks to destroy us. We know from God's Word that isn't how the story needs to end. We can all "call out to dead hearts, come alive" and pray for God's will in our lives.

A lot of what we are showing adoration for in this song is the face of Jesus Christ that God showed us by sending His Son to Earth. Jesus wants us to show our light by demonstrating some of His characteristics to people in need. It's great that people are connecting with Lauren's songs, and my prayer is that "Come Alive (Dry Bones)" reflects a lifestyle for believers that they are living out every day of the week.

We sometimes put up a wall between us and God, and He just wants us to come home to Him. Many of us feel that we're not worthy of being near God and that He's using a checklist to determine our worthiness. That's not the Gospel. The Good News of the Gospel which this song perfectly portrays it is that God accepts us no matter what we've done. As the song says, "But we know that You are God, Yours is the victory. We know there is more to come that we may not yet see, so with the faith You've given us, we'll step into the valley unafraid."

The song also reflects the conviction and strength we can all have as God's army of dry bones who are filled with God's breath, that we can breathe out as prophesied in Ezekiel 37. We live in a fallen and sinful world. One day we will have a new heaven and a new earth, and until then we all need to pray: "We call out to dry bones... come alive. Come up out of the ashes, Let us see an army rise, we call out to dry bones come alive." Amen to that!

(Watch Lauren sing the song here.)