Ezekiel 37:1–14
There’s a moment in Ezekiel’s vision that’s easy to overlook.We tend to remember the dramatic finale — breath entering bones, bodies rising, hope restored. But long before resurrection, long before breath, long before life returns, something quieter happens.
A rattle.
Not a roar. Not a blaze of glory. Just a faint clattering sound – bones shifting, moving, aligning. The first small sign that God is doing something new. Sometimes renewal begins with a whisper. Sometimes hope starts with a sound so small we almost miss it. Sometimes resurrection looks, at first, like nothing more than a few dry bones beginning to stir.
When God brings Ezekiel into the valley, it is full of bones – dry, scattered, and silent. Yet when Ezekiel speaks God’s word over the valley, the bones begin to move. The text says:
“There was a noise, a rattling…”
A moment earlier, everything was still. A moment later, nothing is fully alive yet. But in that in-between space, something shifts. This is a holy place, the threshold where despair begins to loosen its grip, and hope starts to take shape. The rattle is God’s way of saying: “Don’t give up, I’ve already begun.”
This week’s practice is simple, but deeply grounding. It’s about paying attention to the subtle, early movements of God’s renewing work in your life. Think of it as learning to hear the rattle.
- Identify a Dry-Bone Place: Gently name an area of your life that feels weary, stalled, or lifeless. Nothing dramatic, just one place that feels dry. A relationship. A prayer life that feels thin. Energy that has disappeared. A dream that’s faded. A part of your spirit that has gone quiet. Hold this gently, without judgment.
- Listen for a Rattle: Ask yourself: Is there any small movement here? Any shift? Any tiny sign that God may already be working? It might look like:a renewed curiosity, a moment of courage, a conversation you weren’t expecting, a glimmer of desire returning, a word of encouragement, an idea that nudges you, a sense of peace you can’t explain. It doesn’t have to be big. Rattles rarely are.
- Honour the Smallness: When you notice something – even if it feels insignificant – pause and offer gratitude: “God, thank you for this small beginning.” This is not pretending everything is fixed. This is acknowledging that God is already stirring the bones.
- Let the Rattle Be Enough – For Now: Resurrection takes time. Life returning is a process. In this practice, you are not rushing to the end of the story. You are trusting that God is at work even when things are still incomplete, unfinished, or unclear. Let the rattle be your reassurance, not the full restoration, but the promise of it.
The God who brought life to the valley of dry bones is still breathing hope into the valleys we carry. And often the first sign is not a miracle, it’s a movement. A rattle. A whisper that something is shifting. A reminder that God has not forgotten us. A spark that tells us new life is on its way. This week, may your ears be tuned to the small sounds of grace. May you trust the early stirrings. And may you know – deep in your bones – that God is already at work.
