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. ‘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.’” 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.

Ezekiel 37:1-7

 

I found these animal carcasses while hiking in the Omani desert one day. This imagery is stunning. I love the promise and implications of God breathing new life into seemingly dead and withered beings. I love how God asks for faith and then uses His people, in all our human brokenness, through which to work. I love how the restoration is complete—not merely refashioning skeletons, but binding them together with sinews and muscles, topped with skin, and alive with breath. It’s a beautiful picture of how God moves us today, and also a foretaste of heaven.

 

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