Adapted from a devotional given to the Revival Prayer Group at Garden Spot Village, May 14, 2026.

All my life, I’ve longed to witness revival. A true season of renewal and restoration… a sovereign work of God marked by a fresh outpouring of His Spirit. I’ve been more than blessed in ministry over these past 35 years, but I can’t honestly say I’ve seen what could truly be called a revival. Nothing like the Great Awakening of the 1700s or the powerful movement of the Spirit we see in the book of Acts. And even after all these years, I still long for that.

So, whenever I think about revival, my mind is drawn to one of the most dramatic pictures of spiritual awakening in all of Scripture: Ezekiel’s vision of the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37.

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. 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, “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, breath, from the four winds 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 people 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: 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.’”

This vision came during one of the darkest moments in Israel’s history. Jerusalem had fallen. The temple was destroyed. The people of God were scattered, exiled, confused, and humiliated in Babylon. To Israel, it felt as though everything had irreversibly changed, there was no going back. And in many ways, we stand at a similar kind of moment in our own nation.

In this passage, God takes Ezekiel to a valley filled with bones. And in this vision, I see a devastating reality, a desperate reliance, a daring obedience, a Spirit-filled awakening, and finally a miraculous resurrection.

First, a devastating reality.

The valley is filled with bones. Not bodies… bones. And the text says they were “very dry.” Long dead. Way beyond recovery. A valley of bones as far as the eye could see. This was a picture of Israel’s condition spiritually, nationally, and emotionally. Eventually Israel saw it too: “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone. (11)”

You don’t have to look far in our nation to see the parallels. Politically, we are bitter, divided, and distrustful. Socially, we see isolation, addiction, anxiety, and hopelessness. Even in the church we often have activity without power, form without fire, religion but no repentance.

Perhaps the first step toward revival is being honest enough to admit the depth of our need. Revival begins when God’s people recognize how broken we are and how desperately we need Him.

That leads to a desperate reliance.

God asks Ezekiel a startling question: “Can these bones live?”

Humanly speaking, the answer is obvious. But Ezekiel gives a wise answer: “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” In other words, “Lord, this is beyond human ability, so if anything’s gonna happen here, it has to come from You.”

Not political power. Not better branding or emotional hype. Revival is a work of God. Only God can raise the dead.

Sometimes God allows us to see the impossibility of our situation, so we stop putting confidence in ourselves. I think one of the dangers in America is that the church still thinks it can engineer spiritual awakening through human effort. But revival doesn’t come through human effort.

Prayer matters because prayer is a declaration of dependence. In a couple of months our nation will celebrate its 250^th birthday.  I’m sure there will be a lot of talk about the Declaration of Independence.  Well, God wants a Declaration of Dependence.  Every prayer meeting is a humble confession: “Lord, if You don’t breathe life into this valley, nothing will change.”

Then comes a daring obedience.

God tells Ezekiel something almost absurd: “Prophesy to these bones.”

Sermons to skeletons.

And yet Ezekiel obeys. He speaks the Word of God into a hopeless situation. And as he does, something begins to happen. There’s a rattling. Bones begin coming together. Movement begins in the valley. The stage is being set for revival.

And truthfully, I believe we may be living in one of those moments right now.

Some of the evidence is found in the desperation so many people are feeling. For years our culture promised that enough success, enough possessions, enough freedom, and enough pleasure would satisfy the soul. But consumerism hasn’t satisfied. Secularism hasn’t answered life’s deepest questions. And self-indulgence hasn’t delivered lasting joy.

What’s especially interesting is that many young people are beginning to recognize this. Across our nation there’s a growing interest in spiritual things. Young adults are asking questions about truth, meaning, purpose, and eternity. Many are discovering that the ways of the world simply don’t work. The promises of our culture are wearing thin.

It reminds me of Ezekiel’s valley. For a long time the valley looked silent, dead, and hopeless. But then Ezekiel heard the rattling. Bones beginning to come together.

Then comes a Spirit-filled awakening — the most important moment in the chapter.

The bodies are formed. Skin is on them. Structure is there. But the text says, “There was no breath in them.”

They looked alive… but they weren’t.

And isn’t that a frightening possibility? Churches without life. Religion without Christ. Activity without the Spirit. Reform without revival.

For revival to truly happen, there is one indispensable ingredient: the breath of God. Wind. Breath. Life.

Suddenly the breath of God enters these corpses, and they stand up alive — awakened, renewed, revived.

That’s revival.

When the Spirit of God awakens the heart. When people become hungry for Scripture again. Sin is confessed. Worship becomes heartfelt. Prayer becomes fervent. Jesus becomes precious to us again.

America doesn’t need better politics… although I’ll take that….

America needs the breath of God.

And finally, a miraculous resurrection.

God says, “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live.” What began as a graveyard ends as an army standing on its feet. And throughout history, God has done this again and again. And He is doing it even now.

In Iran, the underground church is spreading faster than the regime can silence it. In Nepal, the birthplace of Hinduism and Buddhism, Christianity is one of the fastest-growing faith movements in the world. In India, conservative estimates say that 5,000 people are coming to Christ every day as house churches multiply into the 10’s of thousands from village to village. And in China, despite intense government crackdowns, the underground church has grown to an estimated 160 million.

So, when we pray for revival, we’re not clinging to wishful thinking. We’re placing our hope in a God who specializes in resurrection. A God who raises dry bones. A God who brings life out of death. A God who is still able.

We’re not asking God for something He’s not already doing. We’re just praying to catch up to the rest of the world.

And perhaps that’s why this prayer ministry matters more than we realize.

You may not travel the world anymore. You may not stand behind a pulpit every week. But never underestimate the power of faithful saints who continue to pray for the breath of God to move again.