“And that’s pretty much where we are today,“ Iris Ray of the Awakening Alliance said at a meeting of the ninth Cry Out America organizing committee.
The countywide Cry Out America gathering prayer will be held at noon Saturday on the steps of the Bradley County Courthouse. The focus of this remembrance service will be young people.
“We are looking at a generation who doesn’t know the Lord. Fortunately, it says in Verse 18, whenever the Lord raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime,” Ray said. “For the Lord took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering.”
She said the Scripture shows God does raise up generations and the focus of the Cry Out America service will be to raise up another generation of spiritual leaders.
She illustrated her point with statistics she picked up from a speech by Ron Luce of Teen Mania.
Of those from the World War II generation, approximately 74 percent identified themselves as Bible-believing Christians. Of Baby Boomers, that percentage fell to 49 percent and fell more among Generation Xers, to 17 percent.
“Those being born today, if trends continue, only 3 to 4 percent will be Bible-believing Christians,” Ray said. “That’s where Europe is today and Europe has come a long way from where they were 1,000 years ago.
“So, for the next generation, for our children’s children, we want to see God raise up another generation.”
She recalled Isaiah making himself available when God asked who he should send.
“Isaiah said here I am, send me,” Ray said. “That’s what we are looking for, those kids who will say, ‘Here I am — send me. In Jeremiah, God said to him, don’t say I am just a youth. Whatever I tell you to say, you say and don’t walk in fear.”
