In Ezekiel 37 God asks, “Ezekiel, son of man, can these bones come back to life?” (verse 3 CEV). Standing in a valley full of dried up human bones, Ezekiel pondered the question. It seemed like a trick question. How can something that is dead come back to life?

This vision took place while Israel was in Babylonian captivity. These dry bones represented the Israelites who had lost all hope of ever becoming the nation God intended them to be. But all hope isn’t lost, as Ezekiel is about to find out.

God commands Ezekiel to speak these words to the dry bones:

Dry bones, listen to what the Lord is saying to you, “I, the Lord God, will put breath in you, and once again you will live. I will wrap you with muscles and skin and breathe life into you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:4b-6 CEV)

Ezekiel heard the sound of bones rattling. Muscles and skin covered the bones, but they were still lifeless. Then God commanded Ezekiel to speak to the wind to breathe life into the dead bodies, and they came back to life! God revived the dry bones as a way to revive Israel’s hope that he will fulfill his promise and make them a great nation.

The God of All Hope

As we enter 2021, this story of the valley of dry bones reminds us that God can do what seems impossible. He can breathe life into dead situations, and he can resurrect your hope. Maybe your hope has all but dried up because of what you’ve endured. Perhaps it’s hard to have hope when you’ve had a long bout with illness, a failed marriage, or you’ve lost a loved one to COVID-19. Today, God wants to remind you, he is the God of all hope. And he can resurrect your hope.

In this episode of the Prayer Snapshot, we pray four prayers to awaken hope for this new year. Don’t miss this powerful time of prayer.