“Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I
open your graves and bring you up from them.” ~ Ezekiel 37:13 ~
God has grabbed my attention with one story in particular--the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
If you’re not familiar with the story, Ezekiel is a prophet about 600 years before Jesus is born during the time that Babylon overtakes and destroys Jerusalem. He has been prophesying to the Israelites--who have been taken captive and exiled from their homeland to Babylon--about God’s judgement against Israel. But this story offers hope.
God takes Ezekiel through a valley of bones that are so lifeless and from so long ago that they are dry. God asks Ezekiel if these dry bones can come to life, and he acknowledges that only God could know. God then tells Ezekiel to speak His word and bring them to life, so he does. Before Ezekiel’s eyes, the bones all around him begin to rattle and form into bodies that grow tendons and flesh and are covered in skin. Ezekiel realizes they don’t have breath. God tells him to speak it, and when Ezekiel does, breath fills their lungs, and there they stand--a living, breathing army that was once just dry bones.
God tells Ezekiel that this is what He will do for the Israelites. He will bring them up from their graves, put His spirit in them, and restore their hope. Then they will know that He is the Lord.
This restoration was God’s promise to His chosen people. And if you’re a follower of Christ, that promise is for you too. God has the power to bring things that seem long dead back to life. Maybe you need to hear this because you’re struggling in your marriage, or maybe you’ve been praying for someone to know the Lord and there doesn’t seem to be any progress. Perhaps you’ve been working forward a dream and you’re feeling discouraged, or maybe you are in the midst of a season of doubt and don’t know how to turn it around. Whatever it is for you, hold firm to the truth that we have a promise of hope in Jesus.
Father God, I thank you for who you are and that you are merciful and full of grace and love for me. Though I don’t deserve it, thank you for giving me hope and eternal life through your son Jesus Christ. Through Him, I know that I can live from a stance of victory because He has already won and as His child, I inherit all that is His. I acknowledge that you alone have the power to bring the dead to life and to restore any and every broken part of my life. I put my trust in you and believe you will work miracles in my life. Amen.
In His love,
Rachel Feuerborn
Changed Women's Ministry
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