A Breath of Life: My Tribute to Isaac Daye

In Ezekiel 37:1-3, the prophet got quite the vision from God:

The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

It was a little over 20 years ago, when I was nearing my 40th birthday. My bones felt dry. I wasn’t sure that I had anything left to offer people in my ministry, and maybe it was time for a change. World Radio was celebrating 40 years of ministry, and they brought in some of their speakers from around the world for the celebration.

I didn’t feel up to hearing these brothers, but I went anyway. Fortunately, that’s when this small African man from Liberia, who was working out of The Gambia, stepped up to the podium and breathed life into my dry bones.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 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.’” –Ezekial 37:4-6

Isaac Daye told his story that day, describing his Kingdom work and how God was using him in four countries that were over 90% Muslim to reach people with the Gospel. He started a Christian school that was thriving, and his passion and vision both shamed me and inspired me that day. We became very fast friends, and I credit Isaac—through the work of the Holy Spirit—with breathing life into me that is still going strong to this very day.

I made many trips to Africa to work alongside Isaac and his family. I have enthusiastically supported his vision to return home to Liberia and start an agriculture and Bible school there to train men to start churches and businesses, as well as a sewing school to teach women how to become entrepreneurs. I love this brother and his family deeply—as much as my own family.

During the last four years of Isaac’s life on this Earth, he suffered terribly with a disease that never really got diagnosed. It was very hard to watch this breather of life losing his own breath. I believe that spiritual warfare was involved, and that my friend was attacked because of his successful Kingdom work. Isaac lost his life because of this disease, but the work of his hands and his heart carries on. I also believe that the Evil One doesn’t win when the work established by the breath of God continues to breathe life into this world of dry bones.

I thank God for the life and vision of Isaac Daye, and I commit to his legacy of breathing life into the dry bones of this world. I encourage his family and followers to do the same. He and I will have much to discuss in the great resurrection when I see him next.