Ezekiel 37 (CEB)
1 The Lord’s power overcame me, and while I was in the Lord’s spirit, he led me out and set me down in the middle of a certain valley. It was full of bones. 2 He led me through them all around, and I saw that there were a great many of them on the valley floor, and they were very dry.
3 He asked me, “Human one, can these bones live again?”
I said, “Lord God, only you know.”
4 He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, Dry bones, hear the Lord’s word! 5 The Lord God proclaims to these bones: I am about to put breath in you, and you will live again. 6 I will put sinews on you, place flesh on you, and cover you with skin. When I put breath in you, and you come to life, you will know that I am the Lord.”
7 I prophesied just as I was commanded. There was a great noise as I was prophesying, then a great quaking, and the bones came together, bone by bone. 8 When I looked, suddenly there were sinews on them. The flesh appeared, and then they were covered over with skin. But there was still no breath in them.
9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, human one! Say to the breath, The Lord God proclaims: Come from the four winds, breath! Breathe into these dead bodies and let them live.”
10 I prophesied just as he commanded me. When the breath entered them, they came to life and stood on their feet, an extraordinarily large company.
The Word of God is that which brings life to the lifeless.
Here are some questions for discussion:
1. What looks like death may actually be something reversible—more like “cardiac arrest.”Where in your life (or in the world) have you assumed something was “dead” when it might actually still have the potential for restoration? What would it look like to respond differently in those situations?
2. Ezekiel is commanded not just to observe the dry bones, but to speak to them and later to the breath/spirit. What does it practically mean to “speak life” into difficult or hopeless situations today? How can words, actions, or faith play a role in renewal?
3. There is tension between believing in resurrection while still seeing suffering and death around us. How do you personally navigate the gap between what you believe (hope, resurrection, renewal) and what you see (pain, injustice, loss)? What helps sustain faith in that tension?
If you’d like to dig a little deeper, consider the following:
1. Ezekiel responds, “Lord, only you know.” Where in your life do you need to release certainty or control and adopt that same posture of trust? What might change if you truly believed God sees possibilities you cannot?
2. In the passage, Ezekiel is invited to participate in God’s work by speaking to both the bones and the breath. Where might you be called not just to pray about brokenness, but to actively participate in bringing life to it? What has been holding you back?
3. At one point, the bodies in the vision look complete but still lack breath. Have you experienced areas of life that looked “put together” on the outside but felt empty or lifeless within? What would it mean for true “breath” (spirit, purpose, vitality) to enter those areas?
4. The sermon challenges the idea that situations are truly dead rather than awaiting revival. What is one situation you’ve labeled as hopeless? How might your mindset, language, or actions shift if you began to see it as something not yet finished instead of already over?
For further contemplation, consider these prompts:
1. People can witness a crisis (like Damar Hamlin’s) and the difference a trained, intentional response can make. When have I been a passive observer to something broken, painful, or unjust instead of responding? What would it look like for me to become more intentional and prepared to act in moments that matter?
2. In the passage, there is movement, noise, and reassembly before true life (breath) enters the bodies. Where in my life do I see activity, change, or progress—but still feel like something essential is missing? How can I discern the difference between motion and true transformation?