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Recently, I sat with my newly assigned group for a Ladies’ Bible study. As we introduced ourselves, I noticed that there were many young mothers in my group. I was the oldest one present – and the only widow.

Our first chapters of the study took us to Ezekiel.

The Valley of Dry Bones

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. 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. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
Ezekiel 37:1-3 (NIV)

“Sovereign Lord, You alone know.”

I wonder if Ezekiel might be like us and wonder, “Is this a trick question, Lord?” Ezekiel was pretty wise in his answer. He knew God had the power to do anything He chose to do – but WOULD He choose to make dry, dead bones live again?

And God began to give Ezekiel instructions.

Then He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 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.’”
Ezekiel 37:4-6 (NIV)

It was a two-part process – this coming back to life!

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. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
Ezekiel 37:7-8 (NIV)

The bones just rattled.

There were ‘signs’ of new life, but just a rattling sound. Things were happening in that valley!

But the most important part was yet to come!

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.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
Ezekiel 37:9-10 (NIV)

Ezekiel prophesied TWICE to those dead bones – following God’s specific instructions.

As we read this passage that day, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking.

“Kathy, I want to breathe life back into the dry bones you have left in the valley of your life.”

Tears began to stream down my face.

Where was this coming from?

Were there signs of dry, dead bones in my life?

Did I just lie down and give up on life when Steve went home to be with the Lord? We can all testify to how our lives have changed since that day for all of us.

This way of grief is so hard to describe – to figure out.

Grief is not always loud and dramatic and easily seen on the surface of a widow’s face. Have we learned how to hide the things, the emotions we deal with every day, minute by minute, at times?

Sometimes grief finds its way in quietly.

Death is a thief… but the Resurrection is the Restorer

“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
1 Corinthians 15:55 (ESV)

Perhaps our ‘bones’ have the appearance that we live.

We stand — we move – we rattle. But has the ‘breath’ of life escaped us, and we just pretend to live now, and no one really knows for sure?

The process of living again

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him,
my salvation.
Psalm 42:5 (ESV)

Remember what Ezekiel 37:4 said…

“Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!”

God has an amazing purpose for each of our lives — He just needs living bones to fulfill that purpose — bones that have been filled with God’s breath. The bones just rattled and accomplished nothing until they HEARD God and were filled with His breath. Let’s pray for each other that we might not be dry bones in the valley of our lives.

Our Father, we thank You for the breath of life that even makes dry, dead bones live again. Father, use us in this season to be a vast and powerful army sharing our testimonies of lives with renewed breath and hope for Your divine purpose. We praise the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen