The Spirit of the Divine led me into a vast city, a place of forgotten neighborhoods and silenced voices, where the streets were scattered with the remnants of lives dismissed and dreams abandoned. As far as I could see, the evidence of pain and rejection lay bare. The Spirit asked me, "Can these lives thrive again?"
I said, "O Sovereign One, only You know."
Then the Spirit said to me, "Prophesy to these silenced lives and say to them: O forgotten ones, hear the word of the Divine! This is what the Holy One says: I will breathe life into you, and you will live. I will restore what has been broken and cover your wounds with healing. I will place strength within you and give you breath once more. You will rise, and you will know that I am the Divine."
So I spoke as I was commanded, and as I spoke, I heard a stirring—a sound like the rising of voices long silenced. The pieces began to come together, the connections of community being restored. Bodies stood, scarred but whole, yet they were still without breath.
Then the Spirit said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, and say: Come, O breath, from the four winds, and breathe upon these lives, that they may live."
So I spoke as the Spirit commanded, and breath entered them. They stood on their feet—a vast multitude, resilient and alive.
Then the Spirit said to me, "These lives represent those who have been cast aside, who have said, ‘Our hope is gone; we are cut off completely.’ But hear this: I will open the graves of despair and raise you up from the depths of your suffering. I will bring you into spaces of belonging and restoration. Then you will know that I am the Divine, who has promised and will fulfill."
"I will place my Spirit within you, and you will thrive. I will plant you in places of safety and justice. Then you will know that I, the Holy One, have spoken and will do it," declares God our Creator.
