1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.

2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.

3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O 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 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.'"

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.

8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'"

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, `Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.

14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'"

Ezekiel chapter 37

tells us of a prophet and his vision of

a valley of dry bones.

This is a story of disaster, preaching, & prayer.

Ezekiel was a prophet sent by God

to minister to the people of Israel

during a time of national disaster.

Ezekiel was there in the summer of 586 BC

when the walls of Jerusalem fell

and the city, and Solomon’s temple, were completely destroyed.

The people of Israel had sinned.

They didn’t listen to the warnings God sent.

Therefore, God sent the Babylonians

to invade Palestine.

In 586 BC tens of thousands of bodies

were scattered

all around Jerusalem.

There were no burials.

The bones of the people were scattered all over the country side.

It was a horrible time.

Ezekiel was with his people

as the survivors were rounded up

and taken to Babylon as slaves.

Ezekiel was with his people

in Babylon

and he saw them depressed, demoralized, and defeated.

It was a time of judgement.

Why did this happen?

The nation of Israel

had forsaken the LORD.

God sent them mighty prophets

to warn them to repent.

But they did not repent.

This was the era of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

God sent judgement,

but he didn’t leave himself without a witness.

The LORD sent his greatest prophets

during the darkest time.

That is an important observation,

so let me say that again.

The LORD sent his greatest prophets

during the darkest time.

What was the darkest moment of your life?

You know what it was.

God was there,

and he provided a witness

to be with you.

God sent Ezekiel

to speak to a people who had nearly been destroyed.

Everything they had depended on was gone.

Solomon’s temple was gone.

The walls of Jerusalem were gone.

The land was gone.

Their traditions didn’t apply any more.

They were in crisis.

That’s why God sent Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.

Preaching isn’t just for pulpits.

Preaching is for sidewalks.

Preaching is for marina decks.

Preaching is for God’s people, wherever they are.

What happened when Ezekiel preached?

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.

8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

In the vision Ezekiel saw the effects of his preaching:

people were put back together.

This is what preaching does.

I must admit that I don’t understand how that works,

but it does.

I have seen it over and over again.

God uses sermons to build up the body of Christ.

Isaiah said it this way:

Isaiah 55:11

10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

When the word of God is preached,

God uses that to bring new life.

Ezekiel was told by God to preach to dry bones.

And the effect was dramatic.

Preaching will always be

an important part of building up the church.

And preaching isn’t just for pastors.

That’s a ministry we share.

Lay Speakers preach.

Pastors preach.

We obey the command of the Lord to speak his word

with boldness

and God makes us grow.

But as great as preaching is,

there is something far more powerful.

8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'"

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army.

What did God tell Ezekiel to do?

"Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'"

God told Ezekiel to preach to God.

That’s prayer.

Prayer is talking to God.

That’s what Ezekiel was commanded to do.

Preaching is very powerful.

Preaching is great.

But something is more powerful than preaching:

prayer.

Do you have a relative that is messing up his or her life?

They won’t listen to you will they?

They might see you at a family dinner,

but they don’t

take your advice.

It’s time to pull out the big guns.

They can ignore your words.

They can disagree with your philosophy.

They can resist your guidance.

But they cannot outrun your prayers.

When Ezekiel preached to the bones

they came back together,

but there was no life there.

Then in obedience to God’s direct instructions,

Ezekiel prayed,

"they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army".

Let us pray.

O God, we know you never leave us without a witness. There is always a prophet. There is always a word of comfort, even in the middle of our darkest days. Thank you for being a just and holy God. Thank you too, for your mercy. Open our ears to hear your living word and encourage the preachers in our congregation. Let this be a church where prophecy rings out loud and clear and the body of Christ is built up. And open our hearts to an even greater ministry of prayer. Show us how to prophesy to the wind and watch your life giving power change lives in our families, in our church, and in our community. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.