Ezekiel 37 Devotional

When Hope Has Dried Up

“I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.’””Ezekiel 37:14 (BSB)

By his Spirit, the LORD sets Ezekiel down in a valley full of bones, very dry (37:1-2). God asks whether they can live, and Ezekiel gives the only honest answer: only God knows (37:3). As he speaks God's word, the bones rattle together, and tendons, flesh, and skin cover them, but there is still no breath in them (37:7-8). Only when the breath comes from the four winds do they stand up, a vast army (37:9-10).

Then God explains the vision. The bones are his people, who are saying their hope is gone and they are cut off (37:11). God does not argue with how dead they feel. He promises to open their graves, put his Spirit in them, and bring them home (37:12-14). The two sticks then promise one reunited people, with his sanctuary among them forever (37:15-28). Paul says the same Spirit who raised Jesus will one day bring the bodies of believers to life as well (Romans 8:11). No one is too far gone for the breath of God.

To think about: What part of your life feels dried up or beyond hope, and what would it look like to bring it honestly to the God who gives breath?