Devotionals

The Valley of Dry Bones

If you're anything like me, you know the feeling of emptiness.

It feels as if your body is no more than an endless void. As if the wind could howl through your bones with ease as you lie around in hoplessness, feeling lifeless.

It's a feeling that most of us face at some point, and it's not easy to press through. It's not easy to pick up the pieces, collect yourself, trust God, and keep moving forward. It's not impossible to do just that. Our God is a God who can do the impossible, and Ezekiel 37 presents a vision in which I can't help but see myself.

Let's take a look at the first half of the chapter from the New International Version (NIV). I'll put in italics some key themes and ideas:

1 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.

2 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.

3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

I said, "Sovereign Lord, you alone know."

4. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!

5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.

6 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.'"

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.

8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'"

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet-a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.'"

I know that was quite a bit, so let's recap. Ezekiel had a vision from God in which he saw a vast valley of dry bones. After talking with God for a moment, he is commanded to prophesy, that the bones might be brought together and covered with flesh, and finally, that they might live. As he was commanded by God, he obeyed, and the bones were reunited and life was breathed into them.

Keep in mind that this was a vision. In other words, this chapter served as a metaphor for something deeper than what Ezekiel saw: the revival and reuniting of God's people.

Verse 11 gives us a bit of insight into what God is really trying to tell Ezekiel. It says, "Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'" The dry bones are representative of God's people. While this metaphorical representation of the people was written many years ago, it still applies to us today.

Are we not hopeless in today's times like the people of Israel were back then? Do we sometimes feel as though we are cut off from God?

I do, and feeling that way isn't pleasant.

Yet, we are still God's people, and he takes care of us today just as he took care of his children back then. Because God opened his arms to you and I out of pure love, he is there for us, and can raise our hopeless beings into a vast army of Christians who wear the full armor of God!

With the breath of God living within us, and with the gift of God's Holy Spirit that dwells among us, our dry bones can be reunited. Our hope can be restored, we can live purposefully, and we can move through life alongside an army of others.

One last key point I'd like to mention is how the Lord repeatedly said to Ezekiel something along the lines of, "they will know that I am the Lord, and they will be my people" (*Not exactly. See verses 12 and 14).

God allowed their "bones to be dry."

God allowed their heartaches to happen, and he allowed their feelings of hopelessness. He allowed them to feel cut off.

Maybe it was because the people had fallen too deep into their sins, or because they had put God aside in favor of idols. Perhaps they had become lukewarm in their faith, and they needed an awakening. The reason is not clear, but one thing remains consistent: because of their experience in the valley of dry bones, the people are more grateful to God once they've been restored.

In other words, those heartaches, hopeless and empty feelings, and the belief that they had been cut off were all for the glory of God.

After being in such a dark place, it's not surprising to conclude that their faith in God grew tremendously!

My prayer is that if you're in a dark place or if you know someone who is, that you would remember that after heartache comes triumph. All things, both good and bad, work together for the glory of God, something a dear friend has reminded me of this past week as I faced tough times myself. Romans 8:28 (KJV) says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

"All things" really does include all things.

Through your hardships, remember that God has a plan for you in your life. When you face troubling times, remember that God is watching, and he's waiting for you to come home.

He will breathe air into your bones, restore your heart of stone into a heart of flesh, and fill you with his Holy Spirit. If you had been lukewarm or unsure of God before, after such an experience, your faith would be renewed.

So when you feel empty or hopeless-like you're part of the valley of dry bones-remember the promises of God. He will never leave you nor forsake you, no matter what you go through or how "bad" you think that you are.

God bless,

N.B.