Picture the scene:
You’re walking through the streets of your city, it’s the middle of the day. You walk past the shops and coffee shops, you can hear the bustling; snippets of people’s conversations, polite sales exchanges, pigeons scrapping, a busker in the background. The air is fresh, mixed with the occasional waft of coffee and food cooking, and a few strange smells you can’t quite place...
Then you start to look; really look. You notice people’s expressions as they walk past, you start to sense what’s going on here. Behind the vacant expressions, is there a knowledge of what we were really made for? Beyond the bustle and the busyness; is there really life in all its fullness?
You start to feel empty - dry even. Increasingly aware of this 2D scene and the feeling that we must have been made for more, you hear a voice in your head,
“Son of Man, Can these bones become living people again?”
“Oh God, only you know!” You reply, still looking around, throwing your hands in the air.
But the voice doesn’t leave it there. He seems to have a plan in mind.
“Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say… ‘Look! I am going to make you live again!’”
Hang on. He’s telling you to do something about it! Did He just ask you to speak to the dry spirits of the people all around you and tell them they can live again? Surely that’s out of your hands?!
And yet…
'Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.
Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’” So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.'
Now we’re talking on a spiritual level here of course, the bodies are there - you’ve just walked around and among them. But spiritually, there is a lot of work to be done.
This is vital for us, now.
Because God is on the move; He is ready to hear our prayers, He gives us the authority to speak life into dry bones and raise an army. He is looking to breathe his life-giving Spirit into your friends, into your campus and your city - to restore them to the full life they were made for.
Can you already hear the bones rattling?
We are starting to see this happen already! We’re seeing more and more churches planted and working to be more accessible so anyone can walk in and meet Jesus. People are responding to the gospel on the streets at a ridiculous rate, students are meeting local church on a night out and giving their lives to Jesus, freshers are turning up at church with all their housemates because they wanted to try it out for the first time.
Let's join in!
What are you speaking over your friends, your campus, your nation? And how are you doing it?
Will you pray life over them? Will you speak life over them when you get a chance? Will you fast to make a stand for seeing life break out and the breath of God restore the people around you?
God is on the move, and he's asking you, "can these bones become living people again?"
