In America there is a place called “Death Valley” it stretches across eastern California and Nevada. It's known for its extreme conditions, holding the record as the hottest place on Earth with summer temperatures often exceeding 130 degrees Fahrenheit. This immense desert area, which is part of the Mojave Desert, is also the driest and lowest national park in North America. Its lowest point, Badwater Basin, is 282 feet below sea level. Despite its harsh conditions, Death Valley supports a variety of life forms uniquely adapted to its extreme environment. Occasionally, after rare rainfall, the desert landscape transforms as it blooms with vibrant wildflowers.
God had given me the grace to visit this place once, It still sends me chill in my nerve to imagine this place as its a dreaded place to visit. I remembered this place when I read Ezekiel 37 Chapter. Here God takes prophet Ezekiel to this valley
Valley / Dry Bone and Question
What does this Dry Bone represent ?
Ezekiel 37:1-2 '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. '
God shows this valley which is filled with dry bones to prophet Ezekiel
Ezekiel saw them everywhere , noticing there were very many in the open valley.
Dry Bones - This represents people who are dry in Spirit and need a revival. When you see them some day back they had a human spirit , but its dead now..
Dry bones are not just dead; they have been dead for a very long time. Bones are what’s left after life has ended. If something never had life, it wouldn’t leave bones behind. However, when something has been dead for such a long time, we often lose hope that it could ever come back to life.
God make Ezekiel walk thru the valley Ezekiel 37:2 “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.”
When God makes us walk thru the valley the Dry bones which we see thats dead with no hope also can revive..
God’s Question ?
Ezekiel 37:3 'He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord , you alone know.” '
God is asking him “Son of man, can these bones live?”
If God were to ask this question by showing us, what would be our answer ? I would have said how can that be God they cannot live as they are dead. But thats the difference between one of us and a prophet of God (Ezekiel). He did not answer like us. Beautiful response from Ezekiel
Ezekiel responded to God’s question with the only hope that could be found, saying “Sovereign Lord , you alone know..”
Ezekiel had no hope in the bones, but he did have hope in God.
Ezekiel did not presume to know what God wanted to do with the bones.
Ezekiel was confident that God did know.
Learn to Humble before God - God knows how to revive even a dry bone.
Lessons we should learn
Many times God uses situations in life to show the dry state of us and him to lead us to valleys, Check to see if that is a state you are in. Dry state can include your areas of life or relationship with others or habits thats long clinging with you that you are not able to get rid off..
Dry bones are areas of life it includes character's which are long lasting that we feel, the person is like this and give up.. Situations of struggle that we give up on spouse or children or someone whom we love.
When God shows the areas of dryness in you, the rigid behaviour in you, don’t jump out and answer in defence to say I am doing this because of x or y. Act like prophet Ezekiel to surrender and humble to God
Accept that he can only revive the situations of life.
Revival Lessons
We see here God uses Ezekiel to revive the dry bones, lets see some
1) You have the power to revive
Ezekiel 37:4 'Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord ! '
We are God's children, and through the cross, He has entrusted us with the power. we inherit this power as Child (Sons and Daughters) as we walk with him.
As Ezekiel said we also have the power to use the Word of God to say and revive the areas of life. ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord ! '
Remember there is super power in the Word of the Lord . Read it and use it. It’s given only to us to revive.
What did Ezekiel prophesy and say to revive these dry bones ? Ezekiel 37:5-6 '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 .’ ” ' Lesson to us
Our God wants to revive the situations of life - I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.
The breath that he gave to us, which we are breathing will come to life to make a change with snap of a finger . Nothing is too hard for the Lord.
The promise he gives - 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
The promise to us is he will change the situations of life (”I will attach tendons”) and restore it (”make flesh come upon you”) and make it beautiful (”cover you with skin”) and make his spirit dwell (”I will put breath in you, and you will come to life”)
2 ) Revival of Bones
There are many things that God did in the eyes of Ezekiel which applies after he gives the promise.
Ezekiel 37:7-8 '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. '
Same way in life situations, we may see lot of fight back “there was a noise” and lot of insults / tormenting / lot of resistance “a rattling sound”
But keep faith in God, Don’t be fooled by what you see, have faith on the word of God - “and the bones came together, bone to bone”
When revival happens - it happens in stages, first all the flesh will join to its bones, all the skins covering themselves the spirit of revival comes finally.
After the bones were assembled, muscles and tissue came upon the bones. The bones were full of activity, yet it didn’t have the breath of life in them. The reviving of the dry bones clearly happened in stages.
Stirring of the bones.
Assembly of the bones.
Sinews and flesh upon the bones.
Skin upon the tissues covering the bones.
Awaiting the breath of God.
3 ) Revival of Spirit
Ezekiel 37:9 '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.’ ” '
In the previous verse Ezekiel 37:8 left the valley full of revived, activated bodies that yet lacked breath. Now Ezekiel was told to call upon the breath (spirit, wind), praying the breath/spirit would come on these slain, that they may live.
Ezekiel had already proclaimed God’s word to the dead and dry bones, and had seen a remarkable work done. Yet it was not enough; there also needed to be a work by the Holy Spirit.
Ezekiel was commanded to pray — to boldly prophesy to the Spirit — calling on the Spirit to come upon those on whom the word of God had worked. Ezekiel 37:10 'So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. '
After Ezekiel’s faithful proclamation of God’s message, the work of reviving the dry bones was completed. The breath of God came into the reanimated bodies, and they stood upon their feet. “
Revival spirit will come to give life and stand on its feet as a vast army. So if God is for us, who can stand against us to fight the battle. He revives the dry bones to make them stand in their feet - a vast army, thats the power of God. He can revive a personal situation, he can revive people, he can revive the place thats next to you, he can do the same in your City and nation.
Ask God what he wants us to be used for revival. He will wield us to sacrifice few things to make his revival
Actions you can consider
Pray to God to show you his burden , he can show you people / place / ministry work that he plans to use you for his revival.
Pray for their revival using the promise thats given to us in Ezekiel 37
God’s promise of revival lasts from generations to generations, we are created in this world for him and to do his will . So it’s important to use our limited time to do his work of revival.
There will be lot of resistance in revival (Remember Ezekiel 37:9 “…And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together”) don’t bother the situations of struggle, keep praying, keep doing what God asks you to do.
Keep in mind the revival is not on one situation, its to full-fill God’s glory and plan to make an army of people stand up,.From your view you may see one person, but from God’s view ,its an army from that one person . Ezekiel 37:10 “…. they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. “
Remember you are sons / daughters of God.we have been given all the power through his resurrection. We can revive through that power. Hold on to the word. Trust he guides you and pray to revive with his power.