Can These Bones Live?

Ezekiel was a prophet during the time of the Jewish captivity in Babylon. He spoke many prophecies concerning the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, as well as regarding God’s restoration of his people.

In the 37th chapter of his book, Ezekiel writes about a vision where God takes him and sets him down in a valley of dry bones and asks the question, “can these bones live?” God then instructs Ezekiel to prophesy or speak over the bones and command life to come into them, and for them to be covered with skin. God again instructs Ezekiel to command the breath to enter the bones so that they might live.

God used this illustration to communicate to Ezekiel, that although the nation of Israel was in exile and felt as though they were dead and without hope, that God would bring them back into their own land and restore life to them (Ezekiel 37: 1-14).

This story is used to remind us of the power in our spoken word. It speaks to our ability to prophesy and speak life over anything in our lives that feels dead and hopeless. It sounds quite simple, yet it is profound mystery, that we often do not seem to understand although set out several times in the word of God. “You shall decree a thing and it shall be established” (Job 22:28). “Death and Life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).

I challenge us to stop before we speak another idle, self-defeating, negative, self-sabotaging word and examine whether or not we are speaking life or death. I decree and declare that in this season our words will give life to dead situations. Let the word of God rest in our hearts and minds and proceed from our lips in Jesus Name. “as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist (Romans‬ ‭4:17‬).

A.P.-Y.