The Skeleton of HOPE
One thing that we could all use a little more of is hope. Hope is something that can be hard to find in today’s world. Hope seems to be gone, deceased, expired, no more. Hope is nothing but a dried-up skeleton. But that doesn’t mean we should shrug our shoulders & give up. The skeleton of hope can be resurrected. That is something the prophet Ezekiel learned.
In the 37th chapter of Ezekiel, we read, "The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by his Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I replied, “Lord God, only you know.” He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live. I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!” So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army. (Ezekiel 37:1-10 CSB)
From Charles Stanley’s Life Principles Daily Bible, November 23
In his day hope had become a rare commodity. A captive in the land of Babylon, Ezekiel must have felt as desolate & useless as the piles of bones that he had seen in the startling vision God had given him. (Ezek. 37:1-10). He knew that only a miracle could bring the decimated & scattered people of Judah back together again in the Promised Land.
Yet as Ezekiel sat in the valley & watched the Lord’s mighty work, a miracle unfolded before him. Where before only dry bones had littered the landscape, the Lord added muscles, tendons, & tissue. And into those restored, silent bodies, God breathed new life. It was a testimony that He would do the same for Judah. He would take the spiritually dead, dispersed nation, and, by His might, bring it back to life.
Maybe you feel dry, defeated, & emotionally scattered. Perhaps your valley of dry bones is a great loss, a failed relationship, an illness that consumes you, or a circumstance which is absolutely beyond your control & requires a miracle. But do not despair!
The same God who breathed life into the old, dry bones, sustains you today, & He is able to infuse you with new purpose & hope. Just as He provided the victory to Ezekiel & Judah, God is near to you & can make you triumphant. Just one breath from Him & your life will never be the same.
Thankfully the Lord does not suffer the same effects of the years as we do. He is the same yesterday, today, & always. God can & will do, the same thing for us as he did for this nation. He wants to breathe the hope of life back into His nation, & into His people.
Let’s dig a little deeper into these verses. God took Ezekiel to a valley that was full of dried bones; nothing but a broken-down skeleton of what once was. But God used these bones to restore hope to the people of Israel. He asked Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live?” What kind of a question is that? Can these bones live? As he stated in verse 2, he noticed that the bones were “very dry”. The phrase “very dry” indicated that death had happened long ago & the bones were well past the point of restoration.
Ezekiel knew that from a human perspective bringing this pile of very dry bones back to life was impossible. It couldn’t be done. So, when asked if these bones could live, he answered the Lord telling Him that only He could make that happen. There was no hope for man to do it; only God.
The bones are completely dried out, unburied, & strewn across the ground, covering the valley floor—a vivid picture of the scattered & spiritually dead state of Israel in captivity. With no end to their judgment in sight, the surviving Israelites had lost hope. They believed their nation had died in the flames of Babylon’s attack with no chance of resurrection. A lost cause. Hopeless. What’s the point?
But wait! What did the Lord instruct Ezekiel to do after asking if the bones could live? God told him to speak to the bones & tell them what the Word of God is saying to them. The first thing God says He will do is “cause breath to enter you”
By telling them this, the Lord is saying that He is able to restore life into these old dry bones with just a Word. The word for breath could also be translated as wind or spirit. Whether God is referring to physical wind, breath, or the Holy Spirit is uncertain. However, the results are clear. Clear & memorable.
As Ezekiel was speaking to these bones something remarkable happened. Verses 7-8 tell us, “While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them.”
The skeleton of bones had been put back together, but was still without life. God didn’t want to leave Ezekiel with a skeleton he could use to decorate for Halloween. He still had another step to take. In verses 9-10, we read “He said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!” So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.”
From a valley of very dry bones to a vast army! God had restored life to the valley of bones in a way that was very obvious & astounding to Ezekiel & the people of the nations. God showed His power to all when He did this. There was a new hope in the people of Israel.
This gathering of bones & breathing of life symbolizes both the physical & spiritual restoration of Israel. It echoes back to the creation of humanity, when God breathed life into Adam & it sweeps forward to the future resurrection of humanity through Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
That’s what God did for Ezekiel thousands of years ago. But can He still restore this type of hope to a world that is corrupt with as much hate, evil, & wickedness as the one we live in today? All we have to do is look at how things are falling apart around us. There is no hope at all to be found; just a pile of very dry bones; a decimated skeleton.
We watch the news, read Facebook posts, look at reports online, hear about wars & stories about political disputes. Hope is nowhere to be found & we have no idea what we will be facing next. What’s the point of it all?
Sadly, the church is one place we can look & see hopelessness. According to studies, approximately 20% of U.S. congregations do not have a full-time pastor. This translates to over 3,300 out of 17,000 churches!
The light of the Lord is often brightest when things are the darkest. Where should we look for the light? Where do we see the light? God is still doing mighty things in the world today to breathe life back into the very dry bones that are lying around. He is revealing His Spirit in obvious ways to the nations again. We just have to look. Here are a few of those signs of revival & hope for all of us:
Bible sales are surging: Americans are buying Bibles in growing numbers. A 22% increase in Bible sales in the U.S. through October 2024 versus the previous year, & this growth shows strong demand among all translations & formats. People are longing for truth, direction, & hope & they are consuming the Word of God!
Young People — Especially Young Men — Are Returning to Church: Data from multiple sources reveal a reversal of long-term secular trends: younger generations, especially young men, are showing increased commitment to Jesus & church attendance.
Christian Worship Music Is Breaking Into Mainstream Music: Songs with clear faith themes are gaining traction beyond traditional Christian broadcasts.
Faith-Based Films Resound Again: The film I Can Only Imagine is one of the faith-based movies released in the last few years that have shattered records. It was released in the US on March 16, 2018. It was a box office success, grossing $86 million worldwide against a production budget of only $7 million, earning more than twelve times its budget. Hollywood sees the potential for Christian films in this time of revival that the Lord has begun. That is one of many, many faith-based films that have been released in the last few years.
Another great revival story is the Asbury revival that began in Asbury University in Kentucky. On February 8, 2023, what began as a routine Wednesday Chapel service with the student body turned into a multi-week outpouring that some have described as a revival.
News of the continuous prayer & worship spread around the world & attracted people from as far away as Russia & Japan. Media outlets arrived to cover the spiritual awakening among students with countless reports of healing, salvation, & rededications to Christ flooding the news. Asbury staff, faculty, students, & volunteers worked tirelessly to welcome the visitors of all ages to campus, with lines reaching as much as a half-mile long. The outpouring lasted for 16 days, culminating in a service specifically for students on February 23, 2023.
This wave of spiritual awakening even reached a North Carolina fraternity house at one of the country's top party schools. Even a college frat house was moved by Spirit of God!
It's definitely not your typical place for a night of prayer & worship, but during a recent gathering called the "Night of Hope," many young people on campus decided to give their lives to Christ. Instead of partying & getting drunk, scores of young students came to East Carolina University's Kappa Sigma House to listen intently to the Gospel.
And I have to tell you about the revival that happened at my alma-mater. Hundreds fully surrendered their lives to Jesus as over 6,000 people rallied at UniteUS - Clemson. Revival ministry leaders with UniteUS are testifying that "hundreds of students fully surrendered their lives to Jesus" during its last event of the year at Clemson University.
More than 6,000 people turned out for worship, prayer, & preaching at the T. Ed Garrison Arena in Pendleton, South Carolina. The ministry reports hundreds of lives were changed at the event & 78 people were baptized. "Hundreds went all in with Jesus & followed up with water baptism!! It is revival!!"
Some young believers are not returning to the pews of their grandparents’ churches but are forming new fellowships: home-based worship groups, digital communities, & campus prayer movements. This spiritual movement is a grassroots effort to reach as many souls as possible & rediscover the type of hope we have in Christ.
This revival is not without challenges. It is happening in a culture marked by political division, social unrest, & a persistent rise in anxiety, depression, & loneliness. But perhaps that is exactly why it is happening right now. In the vacuum left by declining spiritual awareness, young people are turning to something timeless.
In Jesus, they find stability in chaos & hope in despair. His message transcends political affiliations & ideological battles. It cuts to the heart with a call to love one’s neighbor, seek justice, & walk humbly with God.
Research also reveals that many Americans hold a positive view of Jesus, & a majority — even among those who do not identify as Christians — believe our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ offers hope!
The Skeleton of Hope is being revived & is bringing praise, honor, & glory to God!
If you see a dry bone lying around, speak to it & tell it about the ultimate hope we have in our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ! Amen & Amen!!
