REVIVING BONE-DRY SOULS
Opening Prayer
In Your great love, O Lord, revive my vitality.
Read Ezekiel 37:1–14
The Valley of Dry Bones
37 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. 2 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. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
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[a] 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.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”
Footnotes:
a Ezekiel 37:5 The Hebrew for this word can also mean wind or spirit (see verses 6-14).
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Have you lost hope?The picture is terrible. Mass graves come to mind. It’s like a battlefield where thousands have fallen in defeat and no one has buried them. Bones are picked clean, bleached white in the sun. Death City. No-Hopesville.
And yet… where there is the covenant-faithful God there is always hope. Though spiritually dead, his people are not without a future. Dry bones begin to rattle around and come together. Soft tissue clothes strong skeletons. But God’s people need God’s life to live godly lives. So, as at creation, God’s Breath-Spirit blows into them and they live. Once-defeated people, weakened and powerless through their sin, now stand like a vast army again. Down, they were. Out, they were not!
God did it all. Every bit of it. His word of power reformed; the Lord of life breathed fresh life, all so that the Lord would be known.
Don’t give up on the church, nor on anyone in it, including yourself. We were dead in our transgressions and sins but have now been made alive in Christ (Eph. 2:1–5). The Holy Spirit still enlivens and empowers dried-out souls. Never estimate the possibilities by the estimate of your own power.
Apply
Is there an area of your life that has “died”? Maybe a relationship, a talent or a call from God? Ask God’s Spirit to breathe new life.
Closing prayer
Life-giving Lord, I bring to You now the dead places of my life. Send Your Spirit to bring new life through Your word in the Gospel.
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