Daily Devotions for Sunday, March 22, 2026: Breath for the Dry Bones: Trusting the God of the Impossible

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The Daily Devotional

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Breath for the Dry Bones: Trusting the God of the Impossible

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.’” — John 11:25

Introduction

As we move through late March, the physical world around us is often caught in a profound transition. The hard frost of winter is retreating, but the full bloom of spring has not yet arrived. March 22 is a day that sits right on the threshold of new life—a perfect time to reflect on the spiritual reality of resurrection. Jesus’ bold declaration to Martha in the Gospel of John is not merely a promise about the afterlife; it is a profound truth about His present, active power. He is the God of hope, renewal, and resurrection, capable of speaking life into the most desolate and dormant spaces of our hearts.

Reflection

Throughout Scripture, we see a God who specializes in bringing life out of what seems irreversibly dead. In Ezekiel 37, the prophet is placed in a valley filled with dry, bleached bones—the ultimate picture of finality and hopelessness. Yet, God asks a radical question: "Can these bones live?" By the breath of God's Spirit, those bones are knit back together into a living, breathing multitude.

Often, however, the space between the promise of life and its realization is filled with a painful silence. Like the writer of Psalm 130, we find ourselves crying out from the depths, waiting for the Lord "more than those who watch for the morning." Martha and Mary knew this waiting well. When their brother Lazarus fell ill, Jesus intentionally delayed His arrival. By the time He reached Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. The situation was not just delayed; it was seemingly over.

Think of a dormant tulip bulb planted in the freezing, dark ground in late autumn. For months, there is absolutely no outward evidence of life. To an observer who doesn't understand the science of seasons, burying a bulb in the freezing dirt looks a lot like a burial. But under the surface, the dark and the cold are actually performing vital work—a process called vernalization—preparing the bulb's internal chemistry so it can eventually bloom. The life isn't gone; it is simply waiting for the appointed time to break through the soil.

In our spiritual lives, God is at work in the dark, cold soil of our waiting. When Jesus arrived at Lazarus's tomb, He did not merely offer condolences; He wept with compassion, and then He spoke a word that unraveled death itself: "Lazarus, come out!" (John 11:43). The same divine power that called Lazarus from the grave and breathed into Ezekiel’s valley of bones is not distant from you. As Romans 8:11 promises, the very Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells inside you. He is the Master Gardener, turning our burials into plantings.

Application

Take a moment today to honestly identify the "dry bones" or sealed "tombs" in your life. It might be a dream that has faded, a relationship that feels broken beyond repair, a season of heavy grief, or a prolonged period of spiritual dryness. Instead of trying to manufacture your own hope, bring these lifeless areas to Jesus. Your gentle challenge today is to practice active waiting. When you feel the ache of delay, remind yourself that a delay is not a denial. Trust that the Spirit who dwells within you is already at work under the surface, preparing the ground for resurrection.

Conclusion

We serve a God who hears our cries from the deepest pits, who breathes fresh wind into valleys of dry bones, and who stands outside our sealed tombs and calls forth life. No matter how final the winter in your soul may feel, the story is not over. Christ’s victory over death is complete, and His life-giving power is already moving toward you, bringing the dawn.

Prayer

Lord, out of the depths we cry to You, trusting that You hear our voices even when we feel buried by our circumstances. When we look at the dry bones of our failures, our griefs, and our delayed hopes, give us the faith to believe that Your Spirit can breathe life into them once again. Comfort us in our waiting, just as You wept with Mary and Martha, and remind us that You are actively at work in the dark soil of our lives. Fill us with the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, so that we might walk forward in the confidence of Your resurrection power, ready to step out of our tombs and into Your marvelous light. Amen.

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Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA

The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989, 1993, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.