When Everything Feels Broken: Leave Room for God

Aug 16, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: God Meets Us in the Valley of Dry Bones

The valley of dry bones is not evidence of God’s absence but an invitation to encounter His presence. Brokenness often feels final, yet Ezekiel’s story reminds us God’s hand remains steady even in desolate places. Faith isn’t blindness to reality but courage to name devastation while clinging to the One who breathes life into dust. Valleys test our imagination, asking whether we’ll let circumstances preach louder than Scripture. God walks with us through the wreckage, not to shame our pain but to reshape our vision. What looks like a graveyard becomes a classroom for trust. [50:58]

The hand of the Lord was on 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. 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. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” (Ezekiel 37:1-3a, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you mistaken the presence of hardship for the absence of God? How might this valley become a space to encounter His faithfulness anew?

Day 2: “Can These Bones Live?” – God Examines Our Imagination

God’s question to Ezekiel pierces resignation: not “Are these bones dead?” but “Can you still believe?” Broken systems, relationships, and hopes often shrink our vision to what’s visible. Yet faith refuses to let facts veto God’s possibilities. Like Ezekiel, we’re called to answer not with optimism but surrender: “You know.” This isn’t passivity—it’s anchoring our hope in the God who resurrects. When human solutions fail, divine imagination begins. [43:48]

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3, NIV)

Reflection: What situation feels “impossible” because you’ve stopped expecting God to act? How might you shift from analyzing the bones to affirming His creativity?

Day 3: Brokenness Does Not Cancel Value

Kintsugi, the art of repairing broken pottery with gold, mirrors God’s redemption. Cracks become part of the story, not shame to hide. Ezekiel’s bones weren’t discarded but gathered—not because they deserved it, but because God saw value death couldn’t erase. Our scars testify to survival; our fractures become channels for grace. Restoration isn’t pretending brokenness never happened but declaring it doesn’t get the final word. [59:13]

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair. (2 Corinthians 4:7-8, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you hidden your “cracks” to appear whole? How might embracing your repaired places deepen your testimony of grace?

Day 4: Evidence Is Not Authority

Facts describe; God defines. Ezekiel studied the bones’ dryness yet refused to let it dictate his faith. Circumstances—bank statements, diagnoses, societal brokenness—hold data but not dominion. Trusting God means respecting reality without worshipping it. Just as Sunday answered Friday’s crucifixion, God’s authority outshouts every valley’s evidence. We grieve what is while clinging to the One who declares what will be. [54:28]

Why do you say, Jacob, and complain, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 40:27-28a, NIV)

Reflection: What “facts” have you allowed to silence God’s promises? How might you honor truth without letting it veto hope?

Day 5: “God, You Know” – Faith’s Whisper in the Wilderness

Ezekiel’s answer models faith stripped bare: not certainty, but trust. “You know” becomes a lifeline when prayers feel unanswered and miracles delayed. This isn’t resignation—it’s relocation. We transfer our focus from the valley’s chaos to God’s character. His knowing isn’t passive observation but active engagement. When we can’t trace His hand, we trust His heart. The same God who formed galaxies from nothing is still breathing on dry bones. [01:04:39]

For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:24-25, NIV)

Reflection: Where do you need to exchange explanations for surrender? How can “God, you know” become a prayer of expectancy rather than exhaustion?

Sermon Summary

Ezekiel 37 opens in a season where everything does not just feel difficult, it feels broken. God grabs Ezekiel by the Spirit and sets him down in the middle of a valley full of bones, not bodies, which means death has had time to settle in and hope has had time to dry up. The bones are “very many” and “very dry,” and the text makes clear that this is not a small setback, not a wound that needs a bandage, but a scene that looks finished.

God’s people know that kind of brokenness. Israel has watched Babylon invade Judah, Jerusalem fall, the temple collapse, the monarchy fail, and the people get scattered. The deeper question is not just when Israel will go home, but whether God is still God when everything associated with God has fallen apart. God answers by showing that Babylon can destroy the building, but Babylon cannot destroy God. Babylon can dismantle what Israel built, but Babylon cannot dismantle what God promised.

The valley becomes the place where God teaches Ezekiel how to tell the truth without surrendering hope. God does not blindfold the prophet. God walks him around the bones. Biblical faith is never afraid of facts. Faith does not pretend racism is not real, pain did not happen, churches have not wounded people, or communities are not hurting. Faith can look directly at the dry bones and still refuse to let the valley have the last word.

God’s question, “Can these bones live?” is not really about divine information. God already knows. The question examines Ezekiel’s imagination. The valley preaches too. Pain, failure, disappointment, trauma, and loss all have sermons, and if the valley talks long enough, resignation can start sounding like wisdom. Cynicism is not the same thing as discernment, and low expectation is often fear dressed up as realism.

Ezekiel’s answer is the heart of mature faith: “O Lord God, you know.” Ezekiel does not deny what he sees, but he refuses to make what he sees ultimate. If the answer depends on bones, biology, or history, then the answer is no. But if the answer depends on the God who speaks worlds into being, breathes into dust, opens seas, and raises the dead, then there is still room for God.

The broken pieces do not cancel value. Like kintsugi pottery, the cracks may remain visible, but grace can turn the place of breaking into evidence of restoration. God is still shaping the church, still breathing, still restoring, still refusing to let broken mean finished.

Key Takeaways

1. Do not let valleys preach The valley can describe what happened, but the valley does not have authority to define what God can still do. Pain has a voice, disappointment has a voice, and trauma has a voice, but none of them deserve the final word. Mature faith learns to listen to the facts without letting the facts become God. [49:44]
2. Biblical faith faces dry bones God does not ask Ezekiel to look away, deny the damage, or put church language on untreated wounds. The Spirit leads him around the bones so truth can be named without hope being surrendered. Faith is not afraid of facts because God’s future is not limited by present evidence. [52:53]
3. Evidence is not authority Bones, diagnoses, rejection letters, empty seats, and hard statistics may be real evidence, but they are not ultimate authority. A season can become a sentence only when circumstances receive power that belongs to God alone. The valley can report the present condition, but only God knows what can be. [53:50]
4. Brokenness does not cancel value The cracks in a life do not mean the life should be discarded. Grace may not erase every scar, but grace can make the repaired places testify that destruction did not win. A church shaped by God must be careful about declaring people finished while God is still working. [58:57]
5. Leave room for God Ezekiel’s “God, you know” is not a loud answer, but it is a faithful one. The words admit limited sight while refusing to close the door on divine possibility. Sometimes faith has no map, no timeline, and no visible evidence, but still knows who knows. [64:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:56] - Becoming the Church Continues
[31:33] - When Everything Feels Broken
[32:01] - Difficult Is Not Broken
[34:27] - A Crisis of Imagination
[38:02] - Ezekiel and Exiled People
[41:12] - A Valley Full of Dry Bones
[42:27] - Hope Does Not Require Denial
[43:28] - Can These Bones Live?
[49:25] - Do Not Let the Valley Decide
[52:53] - Faith Is Never Afraid of Facts
[57:20] - Grace in the Cracks
[62:28] - God Is Still Shaping the Church
[64:12] - God, You Know
[67:06] - The Cross Taught Better Hope

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ezekiel 37:1-3
“The hand of the LORD was on 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. 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. He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘Sovereign LORD, you alone know.’” [31:33]

Genesis 2:7
“Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” [56:55]

Exodus 14:21-22
“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” [57:11]

Observation questions

In Ezekiel 37:1-3, what details make the valley feel especially hopeless, and what stands out about the bones themselves? [41:28]
What does Ezekiel actually say when God asks, “Can these bones live?” and what does he not say? [46:51]
What are some examples of “facts” or “evidence” that were named as real, painful, and impossible to ignore? [54:28]
What images from Genesis 2:7 and Exodus 14:21-22 show God bringing life or making a way where there seemed to be none? [57:20]

Interpretation questions

God leads Ezekiel around the bones before anything changes. Why might God want someone to look closely at what is broken instead of looking away from it? [42:27]
God asks, “Can these bones live?” even though God already knows the answer. How does that question test Ezekiel’s imagination and not just his eyesight? [43:48]
The valley contains evidence, but evidence is not authority. What is the difference between recognizing reality and letting reality define what God can still do? [53:50]
Ezekiel answers, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” How can that response be a real expression of faith even when there is no visible sign of change yet? [01:04:26]

Application questions

Where does life feel merely difficult right now, and where does it feel broken? What makes those two experiences different in this season? [32:01]
What valley has been preaching to you lately? Has pain, disappointment, failure, or exhaustion started telling you what is possible for your future? [49:44]
Is there an area of life where low expectations have started to feel safer than hope? What would it look like to risk hope again without pretending the pain is not real? [45:49]
What facts need to be faced honestly right now in your family, your faith, your health, or your relationships? How can those facts be named truthfully without giving them authority they do not have? [01:03:24]
Where might nostalgia be making it harder to notice fresh life? Is there a form, habit, or expectation being held onto so tightly that it is becoming harder to discern where God is breathing now? [01:02:28]
Brokenness does not cancel value. Is there a crack in your own story that you usually try to hide? What might change if that place became part of your testimony to grace instead of a source of shame? [58:57]
Who in your life has been quietly treated as if they are finished? How might God be calling you to see that person with more patience, dignity, and hope? [01:01:52]

Sermon Clips

68s

#GodKnowsMyStory

“``Ezekiel knows who knows. And sometimes that is all the faith that you have. You cannot explain it. You cannot predict it. You cannot see your way through it. But somewhere beneath the grief, beneath the disappointment, disappointment, beneath the exhaustion, there is still enough faith to say, God, you know. God, you know how long I've carried this. You know how many nights I've cried about this. You know what I lost. You know what my family is dealing with. You know the part that I can't tell nobody. God, you know. And God's knowing is more than information. When God knows, God is present. When God knows God has not abandoned you in the valley. The valley knows what happened. God knows what can happen next. The bones know what has been lost. God knows what is still possible. Your past knows where you've been, but God knows where your story is going. The valley has evidence, but God has authority. So stop asking the valley for permission to hope.”

59s

#HopeWithEyesOpen

“And God does something fascinating. God walked Ezekiel around the valley. Verse two says, he led me all around them. I used to wonder why why make him walk around it? Why not just perform the miracle? Why not speak immediately? Why make Ezekiel look at it? Maybe because God does not require denial as the price of hope. That's important because biblical hope does not require us to lie about what we see. Faith is not pretending the bones aren't dry. Faith is not calling injustice justice. Faith is not calling dysfunction healthy. Faith is not putting church language on untreated wounds. Faith can walk around the valley, count the bones, acknowledge the dryness, tell the truth about the devastation, and still believe that God has not spoken the final word. That's the kind of hope that we need right now.”

43s

#EvidenceIsNotAuthority

“That's the def the difference because evidence is not authority. The bones are evidence, yes, but the bones are not authority. The balance is evidence, but the valley is not authority. What happened to you may be evidence, but but what happened to you does not have authority to define who you will become. What you said, what they said about you is evidence of what they thought, but it's not authority over what God has spoken. The diagnosis, evidence, bank statement, evidence, rejection letter, evidence, divorce paper, evidence, empty seats at the table, evidence, Stats are evidence. Political climate is evidence. But watch this. Evidence is not god.”

38s

#RespectFactsTrustGod

“So come with me y'all. Walk around the bones. Don't look away. Tell the truth. Name what hurts. Study what is broken. Mourn what has been lost. Do the therapy. Have the conversations. Read the history. Look at the numbers. Face the facts. Respect the facts. Respond to the facts. But don't give the facts authority that they do not possess. Because facts can describe the present condition. They cannot establish the limits of God's future. My God. Because facts can tell you what is, but only God knows what can be.”

54s

#GodInTheValley

“Sometimes God's presence is demonstrated not by keeping you out of the valley, but by meeting you in the valley. That's grown faith, not puting faith. Hear me. God can be with you, and the marriage or relationship can still struggle. God can be with you, and the diagnosis can still come. God can be with you, and the business can still fail. God can be with you, and somebody you love can still die. Why y'all so quiet? God can be with you and your child can still make choices that break your heart. God can be with the people and they can still find themselves in exile. God can be with a church and the church can still walk through a difficult season. Don't interpret the presence of the valley as the absence of God. The hand was on him in the valley.”

48s

#LeaveRoomForGod

“So leave room for God, y'all. Leave room in your family, in your future. Leave room for God because dry does not mean forgotten. Scattered does not mean abandoned. The valley does not mean God has left you, and broken does not mean finished. The valley does not get the final word. The bones don't get the final word. Your past doesn't get the final word. Your pain doesn't get the final word. God does. And if you believe God can do more than you can see, if you believe your story is larger than your pain, if you still have enough faith to leave room for God, then you ought to open up your mouth and give God praise.”

63s

#CanYouImagineLife

“so so God asked Ezekiel one of the strangest questions in scripture. Can these bones live? God asked the prophet a question God already knows the answer to. Why is God asking this question? Maybe God isn't examining the bones. Maybe God is examining Ezekiel. Maybe the question isn't really about the condition of the valley, maybe it's about the condition of the prophet's imagination. Ezekiel, you've seen devastation. You preach through disappointment. You watch a nation collapse. You buried expectations. You walked around evidence that says this is over, but after everything you've seen, can you still imagine life? God, I'm going somewhere this morning. Y'all, that's the question. Not whether there are bones, we see the bones, Not whether they are dry. We know they're dry. The question is, has what you've seen become more powerful than what you believe about God?”

60s

#BrokenButValuable

“Some things that broke us were evil. Some things should have never happened. Some wounds came from somebody else's bad choices. Some came from unjust systems. Some came because life can be painfully fragile, and I refuse to remanicize anybody's trauma. But here is what I will preach. Brokenness does not cancel value. You can be broken and still valuable. You can have cracks and still be valuable. You can have history and still have a future. You can have places where life shattered you and still held you together by grace. And maybe the testimony isn't look at me, you can't tell I was broken. Maybe the testimony ought to be looked closely at me. You can see exactly where I was broke, and you can also see where grace put me back together again.”

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