Ezekiel 37:4-8 – “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.”
Ezekiel 37 is one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible. It’s probably the reason why I chose to write an entire devotional series on this book. I can’t think of more powerful imagery that represents God’s heart besides Jesus’ death on the cross. If you haven’t read the full chapter, definitely don’t miss it!
First, let’s just notice that in verse 1 Ezekiel gets supernaturally transported to a valley of bones. Cool but creepy. God’s message is acted out as Ezekiel watches the dry bones rise up, form skeletons, regain flesh, and become a giant army. (Goosebumps!) In the second half of this chapter, we see God’s heart for the unity of his people. He wants to join back together the two divided kingdoms of Israel. Turns out death and destruction isn’t what God wants at all.
Here’s your freedom for today:
God wants to bring you back to life.
Have you ever felt dead inside? Resurrection is God’s specialty — he used it to conquer death when Jesus resurrected and he’s also promised it to all of his followers. We often call it “eternal life.” You die but really you don’t. And in the end, when the final day comes, God’s going to unearth everything dead and raise it up to life. He’s also doing that for us right now, as he makes old things new in our lives here on earth. When you hear the voice of God, move towards him. You just might find yourself breathing and living as you never imagined possible.