I still remember the first time I heard a sermon on The Valley of Dry Bones. Funny how a sermon can stick with us even after thirty five years or more.

The bones  were scattered everywhere. The scene, which spread before the prophet’s eyes, seemed hopeless and lifeless.

The dry bones represented Israel who was in exile at the time. The dryness stemmed from oppression, deportation, and disgrace.

God asks a question of the prophet, Ezekiel:

“Son of man, can these bones become a living people again?” (Ezekiel 37:3a, NLT)

Ezekiel knows God is looking for the expected answer of “no”, but yet he also knows God is able to do all things. He correctly responds,

“O Sovereign Lord, you alone know the answer to that” (verse 3b, NLT).

God then gives Ezekiel these instructions:

“Speak a prophetic message to thee bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” (verses 4-6, NLT)

God had promised He would revive and restore them.

Ezekiel obeyed and spoke to the bones, and the bones came together. He prophesied a second time to the bones which have now come together and breath came into the bones. They stood up and formed an army.

In these trying days in which we find ourselves, our souls can become so tired and worn. We can feel overwhelmed and lonely some days. We would despair if it were not for God’s Word at work in our hearts and minds.

Only God can breathe life back into something that is dead. Only God can revive and restore – a life, a marriage, a relationship, a church, a job, or our faith.

But we are not only restored by His Spirit, we are sustained. And that is the beauty and hope we have today.

God sends His Spirit out to the lost. His Spirit is in us. His Spirit does God’s work in our world and in us, every day. His Spirit does the work of spiritual CPR in us. Constantly breathing life into us, not letting us give up, grow weary, lose faith, or spiritually die.

This is what happens in our dry lives when God’s Word breathes life back into us. New life – a new hope – fills us and we find renewed strength to keep on.

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.
The words that I speak to you are spirit,
and they are life.”
(John 6:63, NKJV)

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