How to Speak Life into Dry Bones

This morning, one of the chapters I read was Ezekiel 37 on The Valley of Dry Bones. God, through a vision, brings the prophet Ezekiel to a valley full of random dry 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. (Ezekiel 37:2)

An incredible sight / thought. Who can make dry bones live again? Put breath into them, flesh and muscles on them, cover them with skin? Only God. And God did it through Ezekiel by asking him to prophesy (in NIV, NLT says “speak a prophetic message”) to the bones and command them to listen to the word of the Lord.

My bible reading plan paired Ezekiel 37 (OT) with James 3 (NT) which contains a lot about the tongue.

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark … It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness … My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (James 3: 5, 6, 9, 10)

While it doesn’t explicitly say this, I imagine these chapters were paired to remind us of the power of the tongue. With the tongue, God used Ezekiel to breathe life into dry bones. With the tongue, we can also curse and cause destruction. Let us (and I really needed this reminder today) remember that our God is the God of hope and that it’s never appropriate to curse / cut down another human no matter how bad / unjust / difficult a situation is. We can trust God to lead. He will. He will.

God, I thank you for this chapter and this timeless encouragement. It encouraged Ezekiel, and it’s encouraging me as I’m sure it has for many before me and will for many after me. You are good, you are so good, and I’m thankful we get to be co-labourers with you. No matter what our situation is, Lord, I pray we can come to you and you will direct us on how to breathe life into our ‘dry bones’ situations … whatever that looks like to you. Help us to desire you, to trust you, to be bold and prophesy as you lead. You perform miracles and I for one would really like to see more of them! So, I pray and wait expectantly. Help me to pray for my city and all areas of my life that could use your life. #theyayproject

And if you’re looking to sing this into your life today, here are two of my favourite worship songs on dry bones.

I'm gonna sing to you dry bones. Until you're covered in life. And the valleys bloom like a rosebud in the light. Come alive, come alive, come alive dry bones. Awake, arise, inhale the light. Come alive,  come alive. (Come Alive - Hillsong Worship)

I love You Lord. But I want to love You more. I need You God. But I want to need You more. I'm desperate for a desperate heart. I'm reaching out, I'm reaching. All that I am is dry bones without You Lord, a desert soul. I am broken but running towards You God. You make me whole. (Desert Soul - Rend Collective)