2026 Lent Devotions
Monday, March 16
Ezekiel 37:1-14
1 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you and will cause flesh to come upon you and cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded, and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
11 Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from your graves, O my people, and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.”
“… He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” …”
Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones is a lesson in understanding and participating in God’s plan. Each time the Lord asks the prophet a question, Ezekiel’s response is to defer back to the Lord. In other words, God knows what’s happening and is going to happen with the people of Israel. As Ezekiel prophesies, he becomes an agent of that plan.
When we think about God’s vision for our lives, we can assume similar circumstances. In other words, while we may question God’s intent and circumstances, we typically find out that God’s plan is much more blessed than we can imagine. As it was with Ezeliel, we simply go along with what God intended in the first place.
Of course, some might say, “Why bother at all? If God’s got this, what is our purpose?” That brings us back to Ezekiel. He is God’s agent in fulfilling God’s will. Even though it is God’s work in bringing the dry bones to life, it is the prophet who prophesies the words. We too are God’s agents in our lives. While God’s will lies before us, we become participants in that vision as we heed and obey God’s directives. In that way, through us, God’s will is done.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for Your divine will guiding our lives. Thank you, too, for inviting and empowering me to be a participant in accomplishing Your will on earth. Amen.