# Dry Bones

*He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”*

By [Reborn Jem](https://paragraph.com/@rebornjem) · 2026-03-23

faith, hopeingod, trustgod, speaklife, walkbyfaith, christianmeditation, biblereflection, christiandevotional, ezekiel37, drybones, spiritualgrowthjourney, suyngamkinhthanh

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**Ezekiel 37:3–6 (NIV)**
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**3** He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

**4** Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! **5** This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath\[[a](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekial%2037%3A3-6&version=NIV#fen-NIV-21403a)\] enter you, and you will come to life. **6** I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

  

Can These Bones Live?
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It is a strange question when you think about it.

God takes Ezekiel to a valley full of dry bones and asks him — can these bones live? These are not recently dead bones. The text tells us they are very dry. Whatever life was once in them had been gone for a long time. This was not a close call. This was as finished as finished gets.

And God asks — can they live?

Ezekiel’s answer is one of the most honest answers in the whole Bible. He does not say yes. He does not say no. He says — Sovereign Lord, you alone know.

There is real wisdom in that. Not pretending to have more faith than you actually feel in that moment. Not faking certainty you do not have. Just — I don’t know. But you do. That is enough to stand on.

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Speak to What Looks Dead
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What God asks Ezekiel to do next is honestly a little strange.

Prophesy to the bones. Speak to them. Tell them to hear the word of the Lord.

Not — go find some living people and encourage them. Not — pray quietly and wait. Speak directly to the thing that looks completely beyond hope. Address it. Call it out by name.

I think about what that must have looked like. Standing in a valley full of dry bones and opening your mouth to speak to them. If anyone had been watching they probably would have thought Ezekiel had lost his mind.

But God told him to do it. And so he did.

There is something in this for us. Sometimes faith looks a little foolish from the outside. Speaking hope over a situation that everyone else has already written off. Praying over something that has been dry for years. Refusing to stop believing in a promise that has not shown any signs of life.

God does not always ask us to do the sensible thing. Sometimes He asks us to speak to the valley.

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I Will, I Will, I Will
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Look at how God describes what He is going to do in verses 5 and 6.

I will make breath enter you. I will attach tendons. I will make flesh come upon you. I will cover you with skin. I will put breath in you.

Five times. Every single step of the restoration is something God does. Ezekiel speaks the words but God does the work. The bones do not pull themselves together. The flesh does not grow back on its own. God handles every part of it.

This is such a relief to me honestly.

We put so much pressure on ourselves to fix what is broken in our lives. To hustle our way out of dry seasons. To work hard enough that things turn around. And sometimes we exhaust ourselves trying to do what only God can do.

He is the one who puts breath in dry bones. Our job is to stay in the valley and keep speaking. His job is to bring the life.

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You Will Come to Life
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The promise God makes here is not complicated.

You will come to life.

Not — you might. Not — there is a chance. You will come to life. And then — you will know that I am the Lord.

That second part is important. The whole point of the restoration is not just so the bones feel better about themselves. It is so that when they are standing on their feet again, alive and breathing, they know without any doubt who did it. There is no other explanation available. God brought them back. God put breath in them. God made the impossible happen.

The valley becomes the testimony.

Whatever in your life feels like a valley of dry bones right now — the relationship that seems beyond repair, the dream that has been sitting lifeless for years, the version of yourself you feel like you lost somewhere along the way — God is not standing at the edge of that valley looking in and shaking His head.

He is asking you to speak into it with Him.

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Walk On
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You alone know, Lord.

That is enough of a prayer to start with. You do not need to have it all figured out. You do not need to feel certain before you open your mouth and speak hope over what looks dead.

God brings dry bones to life. He has done it before. He will do it again. 🤍

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_If this reflection spoke to you, consider subscribing to follow along my journey of faith, meditation, and rebuilding — one day at a time. Your support truly means more than you know_ ❤

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*Originally published on [Reborn Jem](https://paragraph.com/@rebornjem/dry-bones)*
