Dust swirled in the air as the soldiers groaned, stretched, and rubbed their eyes. Ezekiel was confounded. Just moments earlier the same dust that now clouded the air had lain undisturbed on the ground. The thick layer had covered bones that remained in the valley from an ancient battle. The bones were old, dry. So much time had passed since they had been functioning parts of human bodies, there was no longer any evidence of the flesh that once covered them.

No life or hope resided in this desolate valley. Yet the Spirit of the Lord had breathed life into them, and now before Ezekiel stood an army of men. They were alive! Each forgotten face, the strength in each ancient hand was restored. In this valley of death, the Lord brought life, and through this miracle of the Lord’s power, Ezekiel understood that the Lord had great plans for the nation of Judah.

Hope was rare during this era of Judah’s history. Ezekiel himself must have felt as desolate and useless as the piles of bones that had lain before him. Babylon had invaded and conquered the Holy City of Jerusalem, almost destroying the nation of Yahweh. The strategy of the Babylonian army was simple and brilliant: deport and scatter the peoples they conquered so that there could be no regrouping or retaliation. Communities were torn asunder, families were separated, and even the temple was destroyed.

As Ezekiel sat on the banks of the Chebar River in Babylon, he must have pondered God’s will for Judah and realized that only a miracle could bring together again the peoples who had been scattered. Only the mighty working of the Lord could rebuild the devastated nation. Yet when God brought Ezekiel to the valley, the miracle of life was before him. Where there were only bones, the Lord added muscles, tendons, and tissue. And in those restored, silent bodies, the Lord breathed life. He would do the same with Judah. He would take the spiritually dead, scattered nation and, by His might, bring it back to life.

The name Ezekiel means "God is strong," but who could know the strength and power that the Lord chose to show to Judah? As Ezekiel watched the Lord’s work with dismay, he heard the Lord’s promise: "‘I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,’ declares the Lord" (Ezekiel 37:14).

In your own life, you may find yourself feeling disappointed, depressed, desperate, disheartened, disillusioned, or even feeling as if parts of you are dead. Your valley of dry bones may represent a great loss: a failed relationship, an illness that consumes you, or a circumstance which is beyond your control. Trials will come throughout your life which seem impossible to overcome. But Jesus said, "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

There is life in the valley. The same God who breathed life into the old, dry bones, sustains you today. He is able to infuse you with new life and hope. He is able to make a new creation out of you and restore your hopes and dreams. He is able to take your valleys of pain and defeat and fill them with victory. To be mighty in spirit is not to live a perfect, trial-free life. It is to face your trials with the knowledge that the Lord is mighty to save and able to bring life where there was only death. He works in miraculous ways for each of His children.

Ezekiel was astounded by the miracle, and he believed the Lord would do as He promised. History shows that God faithfully returned the nation of Judah to the land of its inheritance. When you’re in the valley, hope may seem far away. But God is there for you, and He is planning the moment when He will breathe life into your old, dry bones. Take heart. Just as the victory was near for Ezekiel and the nation of Judah, God is near to you. Just one breath from God and your life will never be the same.

–Jennifer Rosania, staff writer