“And he said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’”
— Ezekiel 37:3 ESV
I was sitting on the porch this morning watching my human drink coffee and read his Bible. I was watching a cat in the next yard when he started reading about a valley full of dry bones.
Now, I know a thing or two about bones. Give me one, and I’ll make a day out of it. But these weren’t the kind of bones you chew on. These were dry bones scattered across a valley. No life. No hope. No chance of putting things back together.
Then God asked Ezekiel a question: “Can these bones live?”
That’s a question worth asking today.
Sometimes life leaves us feeling like those bones.
Dreams have dried up.
Relationships have fallen apart.
Prayers seem unanswered.
Faith gets tired.
And hope feels like something we used to have.
But God told Ezekiel to speak His Word over those bones. There was a rattling, bones came together, flesh appeared, and yet there was no breath in them. Then God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath, and life entered them.
Here are a few things I think we can learn from that valley.
First, God can bring life to places we’ve given up on.
Ezekiel saw a valley of death, but God saw a place where His power could be displayed. We tend to look at what is and assume that’s all there ever will be. God isn’t limited by what we see. The situation may be beyond our ability, but it’s never beyond His power.
Second, God’s Word still matters.
The bones didn’t come alive because Ezekiel had a positive attitude or a five-step plan. He spoke what God told him to speak. We need to quit building our hope on wishful thinking and start anchoring it in the truth of God’s Word.
Third, we need the breath of God.
The bones came together, but they weren’t alive until the breath entered them. We can have all the outward appearances of religion and still be spiritually lifeless. We need more than activity, routine, and good intentions. We need the life only God can give.
My human closed his Bible, took another sip of coffee, and looked out across the yard. That valley has him thinking.
Maybe you’re looking at something in your life that seems too far gone.
Maybe your faith feels dry, your hope is fading, or you’ve decided some part of your life can never change.
Don’t confuse what you see with what God can do.
The dry bones story was a promise to Israel that God could restore His people. It reminds us that even when hope seems dead, God is still able to bring life where we see nothing but death.
And that hope finds its fullest expression in Jesus Christ, who conquered the grave. Our greatest need isn’t just a better set of circumstances. It’s new life through Him.
So today, bring your dry places to God.
Listen to His Word.
Trust His power.
And remember that the God who raises the dead is still in the business of bringing life.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
