“Ezekiel cried, ‘Dem dry bones! Oh hear the word of the Lord!” That’s how James Weldon Johnson set the first 10 verses of Ezekiel 37 to music, making this one of the best known passages in the Old Testament. But the vision is actually a lot more complicated, and it calls into question the ability of any preacher to call “dry bones” back to life.

For what was Ezekiel’s message to the dry bones? “Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life’” (37:5). And even after Ezekiel told the bones what was going to happen, even though the bones had been reassembled and even though flesh had covered them once again, they were still dead (37:7-8). In other words, Ezekiel crying out to the dry bones had little practical effect.

No, it wasn’t until Ezekiel did the second thing God called him to do that the slain army came back to life. It wasn’t until Ezekiel cried out to the breath, to the Spirit of God to breathe upon the dead, and it wasn’t until the breath of God entered into that great army that they stood on their feet (37:9-10).

And the same thing is still true today. For God is still the One Who is in the business of breathing life into dead souls. God is still the One Who replaces hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, giving new spirits to those who need to be cleansed of their sins (36:25-26). Yes, we need to proclaim the good news of Christ’s pardon for sinners, but it is God Who enables people to respond to the gospel of grace with faith.

So, if you need more faith in your life, or if you know someone who needs to know Christ or know Him better, cry out to God. For Jesus has promised that our Heavenly Father will give His Holy Spirit to all those who ask Him (Luke 11:13). No matter how dry the bones, God can make them live again.

Ezekiel 37:1-10 (NASB)

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones.
2 And He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry.
3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, Thou knowest.”
4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.’
5 “Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.
6 ‘And I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
8 And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew, and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them.
9 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.”‘”
10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life, and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.