A church without prophetic voices will be a museum, a grave of captivity, decline, full of dry bones, dry system and liturgy.

Valley of dry bones, the picture of the Jews in captivity resonates with our present human, spiritual, political and moral conditions (Ezek 37:1-14). The good news is that our present situation is not beyond the power of God’s grace. The voice of prophetic Lent is the solution to the the Valley of our Dry worship, theology, philosophy and leadership. A church without prophetic voices will be a museum, a grave of captivity, full of dry bones hence, the answer to the question ‘can these bones live?, must come from me and you with prophetic voice. There are many Ezekiel in the church today doing the work in the valley of dry bones, maintaining the dry system. The reflection is that until Ezekiel was spiritually repositioned when God got a hold of him, he was like John Wesley doing the church work professionally until May 24, 1738. To be a prophetic voice calls for a repositioning of our hearts. This type of voice is renewed, repented, forgiven, forgiving, and inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit. The placing of the prophet determines health of the church or our nation.

The answer to the condition of the bones is in our obedience to God’s word and command. The Bible says, if you believe, you will see the glory of the Lord. The glory of the Lord is for our dry situations to come alive hence, God is saying to you and me to ‘prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord …. I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 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.’ The church is in need of prophetic voice than professional voice. Miracle always follow prophetic voices: ‘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. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.’

Many things can be done professionally, bones coming to bones, but there was no life in the bones. There are many good preaching, music, worship, and good committee meetings, but without the breath of God, they are dry bones. The church need prophetic voice for the breath of life to enter our vision and mission. According to John 6, ‘It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life’ (63). As commanded by God, Ezekiel’s prophetic voice ushered ‘breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they live.’ The testimony is that breath entered the bones; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. Voice of prophetic Lent opens graves of captivity with restoration and infilling of the Holy Spirit: ‘Then you, 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’ (14).

Prayer: Let us prayerfully sing these words in our soul and pray for the breath of God in our homes, churches, and nations:

1. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.

2. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until with thee I will one will,
to do and to endure.

3. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
till I am wholly thine,
till all this earthly part of me
glows with thy fire divine.

4. Breathe on me, Breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.