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.”
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.’”
Ezekiel 37:1-6
There is so much I could say about this scripture. It comes to my mind often. It came to me again last weekend.
Later in the chapter God explains that Ezekiel’s vision represents the nation of Israel being brought from spiritual death back to life, but like much of the Bible there are further meanings that the Holy Spirit will bring to readers according to their own circumstances and needs.
It is one of the few passages in the Old Testament that speaks of the promise of resurrection, which can point to Christ’s return from death and our own rebirth as Christian through belief in Him.
But I am reminded of Ezekiel when I see relationships apparently die. I am reminded of his vision when I see friends with apparently incurable illnesses. I am reminded whenever I see situations where hope is apparently gone. Because what is apparent to us is not necessarily what is apparent to God.
“Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
This scripture gives me the confidence, the faith, to pray into those situations. To pray for God’s breath (ruach) to bring new life where our human eyes only see death.
“Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
A Christian Journey 