The Valley of Dry Bones

 "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.  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.  He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, 'O Lord GOD, You know.'  Again He said to me, 'Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.'  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life." -Ezekiel 37:15, emphasis mine

This land is dry.  Desolate.  Dead.  Not even grass grows here.  Nothing more than brown hills and valleys caked in mud and covered with shriveled up weeds.  You would never guess it, but this dry and desolate land was once a place of beauty.  This land was once a lake.  When I was little and up through high school, my mom used to take me to this lake.  I used to stand on this very dock and look out at this very scenery.  Only, back then, the sun would glisten off of the water.  Waves would crash and ducks would float past.  This is where I used to hula hoop and cartwheel and splash in the shallow water.  Even on days when it was too cold to play outside, we would drive up to the lake, park our car facing the water, and peer out over it as we read or listened to the radio or simply took in the scenery.

At the lake around age 16

I went looking for this lake several years later while on a hunt for a tranquil place to read and pray.  Instead of a place of beauty, I found a dry land.   I found valleys, brown hills, weeds, and mud.  The land itself was barricaded by a metal guard rail.  I climbed over and down into the now-empty hole.  The dock was still there and everything.  Stepping out, I glanced over this horribly blank canvas. 

I later learned the lake had been drained because it was at risk of flooding a nearby town.  I re-discovered this land at age 22 during a season in my life that was, indeed, dry.   I was between jobs, my sister had passed away, I had recently ended a dating relationship, and I was battling a mystery illness that to this day has never been explained (but is now healed).  My child sponsorship ministry was the only thing that still seemed fruitful in my life, but even that had become somewhat of an unknown, as my travel had been put on a brief hold due to finances and health.  When I looked out at this dry land, I remembered Ezekiel speaking to the emptiness.  I remembered the ruach- the breath of God that filled in the emptiness and brought it back to life.  Life at this time was a blank canvas.  Any time I felt empty, I would return to this place and pray for God to breathe life.  And oh did He!

When you are in a season that seems dead or too far gone, especially a situation that is too big to fix on your own, remember the dry land.  Pray for God's ruach to breathe life over the situation that seems hopeless and watch the dead bones rise!