The vision is of an army of young people.
You see bones?
I see an army.
“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord GOD, you know.’ Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.’”
(Ezekiel 37:1-6)
What do you see when you look at this generation?
Do you see a swarm of young people selling their souls to entertainment, empty relationships, and cheap thrills?
Do you see minds numbed by overstimulation–overconnected and yet isolated?
Do you see an empty chaos of texting, fashion, sports, popularity?
Do you see confused minds swallowing lie after lie about themselves, the world, morality, and God himself?
Do you see a generation that imagines itself more empowered than any other, yet its people are still completely consumed by their own small worlds and bound by apathy about the things that really matter?
Do you see church kids who aren’t really much different?
Do you see bones? I see an ARMY.
Because this is the generation that God has chosen.
He who makes beauty from ashes will raise up and transform this generation into a powerful army. He will capture and refine that aimless passion into a force to be reckoned with.
Beneath the cacophony that floods the school hallways, there is a profound silence. There is a boredom with life as it has become. People are looking for a cause. They want to devote themselves to something bigger than themselves. They know, deep down in a place they can’t even name, that they were created for a love story and a great adventure. They are just waiting to be awakened.
And even as the Spirit hovered over the waters at the beginning of the world, and even as he breathed life into a field of bones in ancient Israel, God will resurrect this generation. In fact, he’s starting already. The sleeping giant is rising from her slumber.
Awake.
Arise.
Let the wind that first stirred the dust breathe life into you again.