Dry Bones

Ezekiel's Dream
"The had of the Lord was upon me, and the Lord brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. The Lord 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. The Lord asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know." Ezekiel 37:1-3

A Hurricane's Reality

After the destruction of a hurricane, there are dry bones all around. Neighborhoods are ripped to shreds. Houses are skeletons. Trees are without leaves and branches. Bridges have had their surfaces torn away.
There are plenty of dry bones to see on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. The hurricane damage in Mississippi was caused by a tidal wave that crashed into the coast, swept water inland up to six miles from the shore, and then receded back into the Gulf of Mexico. The body of communities, towns, housing developments, commercial businesses, and churches was reduced to bones in some places.

Breath of Life

"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
The dry bones in Mississippi are coming to life. Many residents returned to find only the concrete slab or foundation their homes once stood on. The new life in the dry bones might be a FEMA trailer. The breath of life from volunteers and resilient residents is rebuilding homes.
The breath of life that has entered the dry bones of physical structures has also entered the dry bones of hurricane survivors who know that the power and presence of God will restore and renew their spirits as they search for hope in the midst of destruction.