Dry Bones – Can These Bones Live?
“Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Ezekiel 37:3
I am always in awe when I read about the amazing visions God gave to the prophets. I’m in awe of the imagery they evoke. But I am most in awe of how closely they walked with the Lord. It seems as if they lived completely for the Lord. It seems as if they knew God so intimately that speaking and conversing with Him was the most natural thing. They expected God to hear. They expected Him to speak. Ezekiel 37:1-14 relates the vision that Ezekiel received from the Lord. In the vision, he sees a valley with a vast number of very dry bones. As he looks around him, the Lord challenges him with a question, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel answered, “O Lord God, you know” Ezekiel 37:3.
The vision given to Ezekiel concerned the exiles who had been taken into captivity to Babylon. The captives had lost hope and had felt forgotten by God. They cried out to God,
“Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.” Ezekiel 37:11 (ESV)
As the vision continued, God showed Ezekiel that He had heard their cry. He showed him that He is a God who is able to breathe life into dead bones. A God who hears when life is spoken over dead things. A God who does miracles. A God who is Yahweh, the Lord Almighty Ezekiel 37:4-6).
God is working
Our present circumstances may cause us to lose hope that the dreams and visions God has planted in our hearts are dead. We may feel like they are not just dry, but very dry, like the bones in Ezekiel’s vision. We may feel as if our cries of hopelessness have not reached God’s ears. We may feel as if our dreams will never come to pass. But Ezekiel’s vision tells us differently. It tells us that God can do extraordinary things when we allow Him to be God. To be Yahweh, the Lord Almighty, who is continually working on our behalf as we wait for Him.
For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! Isaiah 64:4 (NLT)
God, in His lovingkindness and faithfulness, does not forget us or His promises to us. Our present circumstances may be shrouding what is to come, but we can rest assured that God knows and He is working. He is working all things together for our good because we are called by Him to fulfil His purposes (Romans 8:28). He will fulfil His purposes for us when we wait on Him and trust Him. He is faithful and will do it.
This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Romans 4:17 (NLT)
Reflection:
Do you feel as if the dreams that God has given you are just dry bones? Why not give it to Him and trust Him to work it out for you?
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, You see my hopelessness and fears for the future. Help me to trust that You make the dead things in my life alive again. That You can fulfil Your promises to me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
