In Ezekiel’s startling vision of The Valley of Dry Bones, scattered human bones reassemble at the prophet’s God-given command, and with restored flesh and skin are revived – standing up as a great army – a striking vision!
The vision shows us how God reconnects, restores and revives His scattered people. The “dry bones” were Ezekiel’s people, who were “cut off, without hope” – broken in spirit. (Ezekiel 37:11; Proverbs 17:22) To us it portrays the sad condition of many once functional but now dislocated families and churches.
As Ezekiel prophesies, the dry, scattered bones come together – reconnecting perfectly, as the Spirit of God reassembles them in their original order. Likewise, we can prophesy reconnection to scattered and disconnected believers – “Return to your places!” Ezekiel did, and they came together noisily! Prophesy every former member of your church back into fellowship and expect movement – and noisy reconnections!
Secondly, the dead are restored to their original form, as flesh, skin and ligaments are added to the skeletons. Ligaments hold the joints together. When prophesying the restoration of a body, we need to speak strong ties into place, so that the restored body will hold together. Personal relationships are the ties that bind.
Thirdly, Ezekiel prophesied life into the reconnected and restored bodies. We need to do the same in regard to churches. Adam was a perfectly formed clay person, but only when God breathed into him did he become a living being. The body without the spirit is dead. (James 2:26)
We need to prophesy spiritual life into reconnected and restored families and churches. Adam’s physical body was God’s final act of Creation, its supreme showpiece; but it was the breath of life that brought him to his feet! Similarly, it will be the life of the Holy Spirit that revives dislocated churches.
Reconnection and reconstruction take place on the horizontal level. As the scattered bones reconnect, skeletal structures are renewed. After flesh and skin are restored and ligaments are added, each reconnected and reformed body is all but complete, needing only one “extra” thing to move it from the horizontal to the vertical position – to put it back on its feet.
That “extra” thing is the breath of God. When Ezekiel prophesied life, the “whole house of Israel” stood to its feet! Not just as a reconnected, restored and revived people, but as a mighty army!
“I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live.” (Ezekiel 37:14)
After we have prophesied reconnection and restoration, it’s time to prophesy revival! Revival brings life into reconnected relationships that result in firm recognisable forms! Just as the body must breathe in order to live, churches, too, must receive the vital breath of God’s Holy Spirit. A church can be a body or it can be a boneyard.
We need to prophesy life into churches, so they will stand together as a mighty army!
There’s many a Valley of Dry Bones! When the Lord shows you one and asks: “Can these bones live?” – prepare to prophesy the 3 R’s – Reconnection, Restoration, Revival!