"This is a time I am breathing life in the valley of dry bones! For I am causing the 'dead' to be turned into 'life'! And I am causing the 'hopeless' to be turned into 'hope'! Let Me breathe upon you the breath of life! And let Me blow upon you the wind of My Spirit! Receive and be revived!"
Ezekiel 37:1-3 (NKJV) says, 'The hand of the Lord came upon me (Ezekiel) and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."'
Humanly and scientifically speaking, nothing on earth can restore the bones back to life. You can't just throw a dry bone into water and expect it to come back to life again! These 'dry bones' therefore represent 'people/situation without any hope, whatsoever'. And the fact that they were 'very dry' symbolizes 'people/situation that look completely hopeless and dead'. If there's anyone who can bring these 'dry bones' back to life, it has to be the Lord!
You see, 'bones' are different from 'seeds'. Not long ago, some archaeologists found lily seeds from an ancient civilization in England. These were thousands of years old seeds. They watered it and put fertilizer as they planted the seeds. Guess what? The seeds sprouted and produced a very ancient type of lily plant! Life somehow was preserved in those seeds and the flower could live again! But not so for 'dry bones'!
The word 'valley' here speaks of 'hopeless, driest situation in one's life'. Geographically, this valley mentioned in Ezekiel 37:1-3 was near the Dead Sea, more than 1300 feet below sea level. Being one of the lowest, driest spots on earth, this valley was also called 'Death Valley'. Those days, when an army was defeated in a battle, the victorious soldiers would strip the valuables from the slain army, and leave those dead bodies unburied. Skeletons sometimes remained for years. Bones were scattered everywhere by wild animals and left to be bleached by the scorching sun.
These 'dry bones' mentioned in Ezekiel 37:1-3 were the very state (condition) of the people of God at that time. It was during one of the darkest days of Judah's history, i.e. the seventy-year period of Babylonian captivity. They were dispersed abroad, destitute of life (both spiritual and national), and have lost their identity. Take Ezekiel for example. From the time of his youth, he had been educated and trained to be a priest in the kingdom of Judah. But his hopes and dreams were dashed when King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem and took him (and other young Jews) into captivity in Babylon. He was now far and separated from where he was meant to be, totally hopeless and with no way out.
And it was in this background that the Lord spoke to Ezekiel, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord."'" (Ezekiel 37:4-6)
Ezekiel 37:7-8 then says, 'So I (Ezekiel) prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over...'
Notice the words 'prophesied as I was commanded'? The word 'prophesied' here is 'naba' in Hebrew, and it means 'to speak (or sing) by the inspiration of the divine' (in this case, by the Spirit of the Lord). You see, it is the Spirit who revives and brings back life! In John 6:63, Jesus says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life."
So, people of God, whatever hopelessness you may be facing at the moment, take heart that the Lord is breathing life in the valley of (your) dry bones. Your part (like Ezekiel's part) is to speak as the Holy Spirit puts in you to speak.
Indeed, this is a time to speak life and declare life over your situation, no matter how 'dried up' or 'hopeless' it seems to be! Prophesy to those 'dry bones'! Be it your family matters, your career, your ministry, your business, your finance, even your health! And watch how the Lord do the rest! He can do a miracle for you today. Believe, receive and be revived!
