Ezekiel 37:11-14, "Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, 'This says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise your from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken and I will do it, declares the LORD."

A valley of dead and dry and lifeless bones was what the Lord showed the prophet Ezekial.  "Can these bones live?" He asked Ezekial. And then he told Ezekial to prophecy over those dead, dry bones. As he did the bones came to together and skin came over them. And he prophesied again and breath entered the bones. The dead and dry bones in the valley transformed into an army of breathing, living beings.

The analogy of these lifeless bones shows the reality of our deadness without the Holy Spirit. By myself I am no more than a valley of dry and lifeless bones that desparatly cannot bring themselves to life. I definitely don't always like to admit that and try to play this life without the Holy Spirit's strength and his tender guiding hand. Other times he gently humbles me by showing me just how dead and incapable my flesh is. It is easy to dispair when I see my depravity and think, "my bones are dried up and my hope is lost."

But how beautiful it is that when we are at that broken state, when we have dispaired of our capabilities, he is ready to come and fill as we look to him instead. And the result is life. Life that we could've never produced on our own. Beautiful and abundant life. It is the life and breath that only the Spirit can produce out of our dry and dead bones.

"And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise your from your graves, O my people."

When that life comes to all that has been dead, it is so clear to see who has done the work. When i see bones without life, I must not despair that hope has been lost because the power to raise from the dead belongs to God. It is him who creates life.

I see places in my heart that were once dead. I despaired when I could not create life out of them, I even lost hope at times. But my Life-giving God has come and breathed life where I hardly imagined it was possible for deadness to rise. It is he who has done the work.