The Valley Of The Dry Bones Will Come Alive”

vs. 1 The hand of the LORD was upon 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.

•• We discern a nation’s true condition (e.g., Canada or Bella Coola “by the hand of the Lord ... by the Spirit of the Lord.”

• And what He shows us won’t always be beautiful. Here God showed the prophet a valley of dry bones.

vss. 2-3 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. [3] He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

•• Imagine his feeling of helplessness, of hopelessness upon seeing all this deadness.

•• “Can these bones live?” What is your feeling?

• Can Canada experience revival once more and live?

• Can our Bella Coola Valley come alive in revival?

•• The correct, humble answer is: “Lord, you alone know.”

• Absolute dependence on God alone for revival.

• Our focus on God, not on desperate conditions.

vs. 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

•• That’s what Canada, Bella Coola, BC needs — to “hear the word of the Lord”!

• The written word preached, taught, and witnessed

• The prophetic word — suggesting a moving of the Holy Spirit

• The anointed word, not man’s “wisdom”

•• This will be done through anointed, Spirit-filled vessels:

• “Prophesy to these bones.”

•• It must be done even if you look foolish.

• Prophesy to a valley of dry bones?!!

vss. 5-6 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: “I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. [6] 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.”

•• Canada needs that breath of God!

• “Breath” (Hebrew) also means “wind” or “spirit”.

• Born again by the Spirit

• Filled/baptized with the Spirit

• “Changed into a different [nation]” by the Spirit (as with Saul in 1Samuel 10:6)

vs. 7 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.

•• Obedience helps revival to come — “I prophesied as I was commanded” into a bleak situation.

•• As a result, order (bone to bone) began to come out of chaos and deadness.

vs. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

•• Body coming together, but no breath yet.

• Unity, a “Local Assembly” unified , is a precursor to the valley-reviving breath of God.

vs. 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 from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’”

•• We will have a part in any Holy Spirit renewing.

• “[You] prophesy to the breath ... ‘Come, ... O breath.’ ”

•• “Come, O breath” — This speaks of prayer, insistent prayer, for God’s breath to blow.

• Ministry to dry bones will require much beseeching of the Lord for His breath to blow upon our "valley of dry bones".

vs. 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.

•• Obey ... be a willing vessel in the dry times ... pray and prophesy —>

• The breath of God blows!

• Life comes to the dead! The valley of dry bones becomes a living multitude.

• A vast army stands to its feet!

vs. 11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ”

•• The army is identified as the “whole house of Israel” —> the Church today (Galatians6:16).

• Their/our(?) present state is dryness, hopelessness.

vs. 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

•• “Therefore,” in light of their despair, you speak:

• God will open your graves.

• He will bring you out of your deadness.