“Then He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones come to life?” “O Lord GOD,” I replied, “only You know.””EZEKIEL 37:3 · BSB · READ THE CHAPTER →Hebrew: ruach (H7307), breath, wind, Spirit
God set Ezekiel down in a valley full of bones. Not a few, but very many, and very dry. They were the remains of an army long dead. It was a picture of Israel in exile: scattered, defeated, without hope.
Then God asked a question no one would dare answer yes to: “Son of man, can these bones come to life?” Ezekiel's answer is a model of honest faith: “O Lord GOD, only You know.” He didn't pretend to feel hope he didn't have, but he left the door open for God.
God told him to prophesy to the bones, and suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone. Sinews, flesh and skin covered them. But there was no breath in them. It is possible to have structure without life: a body without breath, a church without the Spirit, a routine without God.
So God told him to prophesy to the breath. The Hebrew word ruach runs through this whole chapter, translated breath, wind and spirit. In Hebrew they are one word. The breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.
Whatever looks dead in your life, your marriage, your faith, your family, your city, the question is not whether it is too far gone. The question is whether the Spirit of God can breathe on it. Speak God's Word over it, and then call for His breath.
- What area of your life looks like a valley of dry bones?
- Where do you have structure but no breath?
- What would it look like to speak God's Word over that situation?
Pick one dead situation and pray Ezekiel 37:9 over it every day this week: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe.”
Your worst day is not stronger than His empty tomb.