Dry Bones and Dreams of Revival

From Dry Bones to New Life: A Vision of Revival at Bethany

“So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.”
—Ezekiel 37:10

This past Sunday, we stepped into one of the most vivid and hope-filled passages in all of Scripture—Ezekiel 37. It's a vision of dry bones—scattered, sun-bleached remnants of a once-living people—brought miraculously back to life by the breath of God. A rattling, a revival, and a promise fulfilled.

This vision was given to a nation in despair. Israel was in exile, scattered across the vast Babylonian empire. Their homeland destroyed. Their temple gone. Their identity shaken.

Psalm 137 captures their anguish:
"By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion… How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?"

They saw no future. But God did.
Through Ezekiel, God gives a promise not just of return, but of resurrection. Not just of land restored, but of life renewed. God shows Ezekiel a valley filled with dry bones—completely lifeless. And He asks, “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel’s answer? “O Lord God, you know.”
God commands Ezekiel to prophesy. First to the bones—bringing flesh and sinews back onto them. Then to the breath—the ruach, the Spirit. And when the breath of God enters, what once was dead stands again: an exceedingly great army.

This vision wasn’t just for ancient Israel. It’s for us.
We, too, know what it’s like to feel scattered. To feel hopeless. Maybe you’re in a season where you feel like those dry bones—worn out, brittle, forgotten. Maybe you’re mourning a loss, battling depression, or asking, “God, why did you make me this way? Why is this my life?”
But God is not done with you. He’s not done with us. Just as He brought new life to Israel, He breathes new life into His people today through Jesus Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this promise. Through His death and resurrection, we see tombs opened (Matthew 27:52) and the Spirit poured out (Acts 2). The revival begins there—and it continues with us.

What Does Revival Look Like Today?
It’s easy to look back and long for “the glory days.” Maybe it was the 90s or 2000s when the pews were full and the programs were many. But the truth is, God doesn’t do the same thing twice. Revival doesn’t come from perfect worship or polished programs. It doesn’t come from clever advertising or church growth strategies.

Revival comes when God breathes life into dry bones.
It comes when we fall to our knees in prayer. When we saturate ourselves in the Word. When we share the gospel with our neighbors. When we make space for the Spirit to move.
We long for revival at Bethany. Not just in our hearts, but in our community. Not just for returning Christians, but for new believers. Revival is the accumulation of changed lives—of people coming to faith, repenting, being baptized, and joining the church.

Can these bones live? Yes. God knows they can.
Let’s pray for five adult conversion baptisms this year—not for numbers’ sake, but because each one represents a soul brought from death to life. Let’s commit to doing the hard, holy work of evangelism. Let’s ask God to move.

Because when He moves—bones rattle, breath returns, and what was once dead stands on its feet, alive again.


Here is a video of another church in our same denomination, in our same state that saw the Lord move and saw revival!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6xP0vT4vvU