I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!'" Ezekiel 37:14
The other day I noticed that flowers in my apartment were looking dead. I thought that they were surely gone and I would have to buy new flowers to replace them. I noticed, however, that the water in my vase was very low, so I added more water as a last-ditch effort to save the flowers. Although I added water, I did not have high hopes for these flowers. A few hours later, I checked on them and, to my surprise, they were refreshed! It was as if they had come back to life. All they needed was more water, and they were full of life and beautiful again.
My flowers are a tiny picture of what God does in the lives of people when they turn to Him. In the book of Ezekiel, after Ezekiel had continually called the Israelites to stop living sinful, idolatrous lives, God has another message for Israel through the prophet Ezekiel: He can bring dead lives back to life again. In one of the most intriguing passages of all of Scripture, Ezekiel 37, God takes Ezekiel to a valley with many dry bones. He tells Ezekiel that He can make the bones alive again. Suddenly, the dry bones come together and form bodies with muscles, tendons, and skin. Then, God breathes breath into the resurrected bodies. This is a picture of what He will do for Israel. Although Israel is at a point in their lives when they think that they God has different plans. He will revive Israel, and it will be restored. There is still hope for Israel.
Just like God promised to revive Israel in Ezekiel 37, He will do the same for us. We may feel spiritually dead. It may seem like there is no hope for our revival, but God is a God who brings the dead to life. This includes you! Maybe you are not spiritually dead, but you are feeling dry. Maybe certain areas of your life need revival. God is still working in your life, and He can revive any area that is dry. There was hope for Israel, and there is hope for you.
Are you in need of revival today? What areas of your life are feeling spiritually dead or dry. God can restore and redeem anything. Make a list of the areas in your life you want God to resurrect. In your journal or notes below, write out a prayer asking God to revive any area of your life that needs resurrection (your marriage, a financial situation, a prayer that appears to be unanswered). This revival may look different than you would like for it to, but He is faithful and will never give up on you.
The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”
“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these 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.’”
So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”
So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.
Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”
