Talk To The Bones" | Ezekiel 37:1-14 | Rev. Brent Wylie

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing God's Proper Seat in Our Lives

We often approach our faith with a mindset of what we can receive. Yet, the call to worship is a call to exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool. He is the one seated on the throne of glory, and our primary posture in His house is one of service and adoration. This shifts our focus from ourselves to the One who is truly holy and worthy of all honor. Our purpose is to glorify and honor Jesus Christ in everything we do. [04:07]

Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. (Psalm 99:5, ESV)

Reflection: In what areas of your life, including your time in church, do you find yourself focusing more on what you can get rather than on glorifying God? How might shifting your focus to worshiping at His footstool change your approach this week?

Day 2: Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus in the Deep Water

When facing challenges, it is easy to become fixated on the depth of the problem, which can lead to fear and paralysis. The way forward is found not by staring at the overwhelming circumstances but by looking intently at Jesus, who is present with us. He is the one who calls us to step out in faith, promising to be there to save and sustain us. This act of focusing on Him provides the strength needed to move forward and trust. [27:43]

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:30-31, ESV)

Reflection: What is the "deep water" you are facing right now that causes you to fear? What would it look like, in a practical step, to intentionally shift your gaze from the problem to Jesus this week?

Day 3: The Hopeless State of a Dry Soul

There are seasons in life where our inner being can feel withered, brittle, and without hope, much like the dry bones in the valley. This condition reflects a soul that feels distant from vitality and cut off from life. It is a place of profound spiritual dryness where our own strength and resources have utterly failed. In such a state, we are confronted with the limits of our own power and understanding. [46:03]

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.” (Ezekiel 37:2-3, NIV)

Reflection: Where in your life are you experiencing a sense of spiritual dryness or hopelessness? Can you bring that specific situation before God and honestly tell Him, "You alone know"?

Day 4: Listening for God's Voice in Our Hopelessness

In our despair, we are reminded that there are some things only God knows and only God can do. Our role is not to immediately seek a human solution or to try to fix everything ourselves. Instead, we are invited into a holy conversation with God, where we quiet our own advice and earnestly listen for His direction. This posture of listening is the foundation for hearing what He wants to speak into our situation. [49:53]

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27, ESV)

Reflection: When you bring a hopeless situation to God in prayer, how much time do you spend speaking versus listening? What is one practical way you can create space this week to listen for what God might want to say to you?

Day 5: Speaking God's Life into Our Dry Bones

After listening, we are called to actively participate by speaking God’s truth into our circumstances. This is not a declaration of our own power but a proclamation of what the Sovereign Lord says. It is an act of faith, trusting that as we obey and speak His word, He will enact His life-giving power. This process brings restoration, not just for us, but so that we can then testify to others of what God has done. [56:27]

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.’” (Ezekiel 37:4-5, NIV)

Reflection: What is one specific promise or word from God that you feel He has impressed upon your heart? How can you courageously "prophesy" that truth—speak it out loud—over your life this week as an act of faith?

Sermon Summary

A clear call to worship anchors every action in God’s sovereignty and glory, framing the gathered life as kneeling before the Lord rather than seeking personal benefit. The image of a footstool becomes a vivid reminder that God alone occupies the seat of honor, and that worship flows from recognizing his holiness. Old Testament prophecy in Ezekiel 37 supplies the sermon’s central picture: a valley of very dry bones symbolizes a people stripped of hope and life. The divine question—“Can these bones live?”—frames human despair as an opportunity for God to display what only he knows and only he can do.

The practice of listening to God precedes prophetic speech. The congregation receives practical steps: come to the altar, kneel, and cultivate a prayer life that listens for divine words before speaking them into reality. Prophesying here means listening to God and then declaring his promise over a situation, not forecasting trivia or asserting one’s own authority. The act of speaking the Lord’s word invites God to enact what he alone can accomplish—bones clattering together, flesh forming, and breath entering—revisiting creation’s power and the Spirit’s restorative work.

Personal anecdotes and practical examples make the theology accessible: persistent nightmares, spiritual dry spells, and habits like invoking Jesus’ name aloud model how small faith actions invite God’s intervention. The narrative insists that counsel should guide people toward hearing God rather than replacing God’s voice with quick fixes. Finally, the call moves outward: those revived by God’s Spirit will testify so others recognize the Lord’s work. Corporate practices—prayer meetings, mission focus Sunday, baptisms, and community service—become platforms for both receiving restoration and proclaiming it to others, rooting private renewal in public witness.

Key Takeaways

1. God revives hopeless, dry bones When despair reduces soul-life to brittle fragments, God still specializes in reversal. The biblical image of dry bones points to total spiritual exhaustion, not divine indifference. Trusting that God alone can restore such ruin reframes the problem: the matter may be known only to him but remains open to his creative work. Expect restoration that surprises human prediction and restores identity. [59:00]
2. Listen then speak in faith Prayer that merely requests often misses the shape of what God wants to do; listening first tunes the heart to his specific word. Cultivating silence and attention allows an impression from God to become a directive one can declare. Speaking that word aloud enacts commitment and invites God’s power to accompany the promise. This discipline shifts prayer from wishful thinking to covenantal participation. [53:19]
3. Prophesy by speaking faith aloud Prophesy here means articulating what God has impressed, not arrogantly predicting outcomes. Saying God’s word to a situation performs spiritual work: it summons divine breath to animate what is dead. Small acts of voiced faith—simple confessions, declarations, or petitions—become instruments by which God fulfills what only he can do. The practice trains both trust and testimony. [56:27]
4. Keep eyes fixed on Jesus Fixing attention on Jesus steadies action when fear of the “deep water” threatens to immobilize. Focusing on his presence supplies the courage to step forward and the clarity to pray and obey. Regular acts of kneeling, confession, and naming Jesus aloud guard the mind from dark spirals and invite tangible help. The posture of focus converts anxiety into obedient trust. [27:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[04:07] - Worship: God’s footstool
[04:32] - Seat of glory illustration
[05:25] - Exalting Jesus in worship
[27:06] - How to focus on Jesus
[28:37] - Invitation to kneel and listen
[33:49] - Announcements and calendar
[34:33] - Faith Promise Sunday (missions)
[35:10] - Combined service & potluck
[36:19] - Baptism invitation
[38:12] - Ezekiel 37: context and reading
[44:26] - The valley of dry bones
[51:02] - Speak to the bones (prophesy)
[57:34] - Breath returns; revival imagery
[61:50] - Prayer: learn to listen to God
[63:39] - Blessing and dismissal

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14 (ESV)

Observation questions

In Ezekiel's vision, what was the condition of the bones he saw in the valley, and what did this condition represent for the people of Israel?
What was God's question to Ezekiel in verse 3, and what was Ezekiel's response?
What specific actions was Ezekiel commanded to take in verses 4 and 9?
According to the vision, what was the sequence of events that happened after Ezekiel prophesied as he was commanded? [57:34]

Interpretation questions

Why is Ezekiel's answer, "Sovereign Lord, you alone know," considered a model response to situations of complete hopelessness? What does this teach about God's nature? [47:36]
The act of prophesying to the bones is described not as predicting the future, but as "listening to God and then speaking what he's telling them." [52:44] How does this redefine the purpose of prophecy for a believer today?
God could have revived the bones Himself. Why do you think He chose to involve Ezekiel in the process by having him speak the words?
The sermon described saying the name of Jesus aloud in a moment of fear as a "form of prophecy." [56:04] How does speaking faith aloud, even with a small amount of faith, invite God to enact change?

Application questions

The image of "dry bones" symbolizes a soul in a hopeless state. [46:03] In what area of your life do you feel your spiritual vitality is drying up or has become brittle? Be specific.
There are some things in life only God knows and only God can do. [48:34] When a friend shares a deep struggle with you, how can you move from the impulse to offer a quick fix to instead "listen with them to what God would say"? [49:53]
What is one practical step you can take this week to cultivate a prayer life that involves more listening for God's impression before speaking your requests? [53:19]
What is one specific situation you are facing where you need to "speak it out"—to declare aloud a promise from God or the name of Jesus as an act of faith, inviting Him to do what only He can do? [56:27]
How can sharing your testimony of God's intervention with someone else provide them with the hope and confidence they need for their own "valley of dry bones"? [01:00:33]
The practice of kneeling at the altar was offered as a tangible way to focus on Jesus instead of the "deep water" of our circumstances. [28:37] What is one tangible habit or posture you can adopt to help fix your eyes on Jesus when anxiety threatens to immobilize you?

Sermon Clips

He tells us in verse 11, then god said to me, son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say our bones are dried up and our hope is gone. We are cut off. Therefore, prophesy and say to them, this is what the sovereign Lord says, 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. Then you, [00:58:58] (27 seconds) #ResurrectionPromise

my people, will know that I am the Lord. When I open your graves and bring you up from them, 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. [00:58:58] (19 seconds) #SpiritBreathedLife

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Talk To The Bones" | Ezekiel 37:1-14 | Rev. Brent Wylie | 2/15/2026