“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’
“So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.’ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army… ‘And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live… Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.’” Ezekiel 37:1-10,14
Utah’s Goblin Valley is full of stone creatures: wind- and time-carved, gnome-like and goofy, inanimate. Dry bones. But it’s easy to imagine how an artistic mastermind and technical creator could make them come to life, in a movie. God Almighty can do the same for individuals who have, over years, been worn down by the world and left lifeless in zeal for the Lord.
The bones the prophet Ezekiel saw were those of dead Israelites, and God was promising through him that He would supernaturally restore to the nation life and Spirit to live for Him once again. While this may seem a realistic impossibility, it offers a vivid picture of how our God can revive individuals, and whole nations, by the breath of His omnipotent word, for His renown and glory. (Genesis 2:7)
What in us is languishing, dry, or dead? Our spiritual vitality? The will to get up, to read the Bible, to reach out and serve? Are we so dry we cannot praise, so bereft we cannot hope? Is our independence so ingrained we have no faith, our focus so inward we lack self-awareness and industry that benefits others? When we present our dry bones to the Lord, He adds sinew, flesh, and vitality.
Gracious Lord, revive my dry bones that I might know You better and make You known. May others see Your life in me, and desire You for themselves.
As the rain and snow 
Amen! Thanks be to our God, through Jesus Christ He breathed into us His spirit that we may be revived again and again each time we draw near our Lord.
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