Every October, skeletons begin popping up on porches, peeking out of flower beds and waving from front lawns. Some are sitting in lawn chairs. Others are climbing roofs, riding bicycles or striking poses that would make a chiropractor nervous. My grandchildren love decorating our porch with them, so I have learned to make room for a little seasonal skeletal shenanigans.

I'm not exactly a Halloween enthusiast, but I can appreciate a good skeleton. Especially when it gives me an opportunity to talk about the Bible. Long before plastic skeletons became neighborhood celebrities, God gave the prophet Ezekiel a vision that puts every Halloween skeleton story to shame.

In Ezekiel 37, God brings Ezekiel, through the Spirit, to a valley filled with dry bones. This is a prophetic vision, not simply a spooky tale. God is communicating a powerful message to His people, Israel, who are living in exile and believe their hope is gone. Their situation seems as lifeless as the bones scattered across that valley.

But God is about to show Ezekiel, and His people, that their circumstances do not limit His power to restore them, and that’s a story worth telling….READ MORE…