Valley Of Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:13-14

And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.”

Have you ever felt like things were hopeless? Have you ever said to yourself that this cannot work? Have you ever felt a sense of utter defeat ?

Ezekiel 37:1-14, shows without a shadow of a doubt that God is sovereign. He holds the power of life and death in His hands. Nothing is impossible with Him.

Ezekiel is led in a vision to the valley of dry bones— a place of hopeless, lifeless, silence. Just existing, nothing more……a place of very dry bones (vs. 1-3). God asks Ezekiel "Can these bones live?" In the sight of Ezekiel there was no hope in those bones. Admirably, he responded to God’s question with the only hope that could be found, saying “O Lord GOD, You know.” Ezekiel had no hope in the bones, but he did have hope in God. He was confident that God did know.

God commands Ezekiel to call out to the bones: "O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! I will raise you up, and remake you, and you will live. And then you will know that I am the Lord.'" The scattered bones were shaken, and began to come together, “bone to his bone,” and were bound together by sinews. They were covered with flesh, and as the Lord breathed upon the bodies thus formed, “the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army”

God explained that “these bones are the whole house of Israel.” That He would cause His people to “come up out of your graves” and “come to life.” And He would place them “on your own land.” Amazing!

As a people, we too are like the dry bones without the spirit of God - dead in our sins and trespasses. Without the Holy Spirit, without the breath of God, we have no spiritual life. To all appearance, there is nothing to lead us to hope for our restoration. But, just as these dry bones came back to life, when we receive the Holy Spirit, the Lord God quickens the lifeless spiritual nature into activity. The Lord must breathe upon the dry bones, that they may live. We may be diligent in the performance of Christian duties, but may be among those who have “a name that thou livest, and art dead.” Rev. 3:1. This same condition applies to those whom we have been called to reach. Though they may seem unwilling to hear or to receive the light of truth, without questioning or wavering, we are to do our part. It is not the human agent that is to inspire with life. The Lord God of Israel will do that because only Him knoweth.

Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones serves also to teach us an important lesson, which is, that God specializes in miracles. He replaces the stench of death with life. He gives hope where all hope is lost. Jeremiah 32:17 echoes this truth "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."

Prayer

O, Lord, breath in me the breathe of life i pray.

I don't want to remain dry and empty,

But I long to be revived.

In Jesus name

Amen