“When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” Proverbs 10:25 NIV
Today a new helmsman and crew will take charge of the mighty ship that is called The United States. As our ship prepares to depart the dock for what many believe to be a better destination, I cannot help but feel angst. In fact, I cannot help but make parallels to Paul’s voyage to Rome found in Acts 27. Much like Paul who discerned their voyage wasn’t going to end well, I too perceive the voyage our country is about to embark on will only end in catastrophe (Acts 27:10).
Last year, God gave me a message that He was going to shake America then bring revival. This word came from Haggai chapter 2. The message was clear to me but I had a difficult time reconciling the many voices that were prophesying revival after a Trump re-election. I made the mistake of believing I only had part of the puzzle and accepted a lot of these prophecies as the missing piece of the puzzle. As you can imagine, I was confused when Trump lost re-election. Despite Trump losing the election, many continued to prophesy a Trump victory because “God declared it.” I however went to the Lord in prayer. I had a heavy spirit for many days and God was silent but after a couple of weeks, God finally began to show me something troubling that only confirmed what He originally revealed to me in Haggai chapter 2. America has a date with God’s judgment.
This was difficult to understand because for the first time in decades, our country was seemingly heading in the right direction under the Trump administration; however, I failed to see Trump’s presidency for what it truly was – a stay in execution. Although no comparison can be made between Donald Trump and King Josiah, the stay in execution is similar to how Josiah’s reform only delayed the inevitable destruction of Jerusalem. In fact, America has been under God’s judgment for quite some time. We saw God’s judgment on 9/11 and even saw it in the form of natural disasters like Katrina and Harvey. Sadly, our country has reached the point that death is no longer an effective form of correction to get our attention and bring us to our knees in repentance. COVID-19 is proof of this. As I write this, the death toll in America has reached 400,000 and many are still chalking it up to politics. America is at the point where the only kind of judgment that can get its attention is the kind that hits the pocket book.
I sense America is on a collision course with a massive storm in the likes that our country has never seen. All of the pieces have fallen into place and there’s nothing that can be done to avoid it. I find it ironic that those who take office today ran on the platform of “saving the soul of the nation” but the simple truth is America CANNOT be saved. Donald Trump couldn’t save America and the Republican party couldn’t do it. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and the Democratic party certainly won’t be able to save America either. If anything, they will be the instrument that steers us into the storm that lies ahead.
There is only one who can save us from ourselves and it is God; however, God is going to use a storm to do it. I realize this isn’t good news but as a watchman, it is my obligation to warn those who will listen. If you are reading this, I cannot stress enough how important it is to get your debts settled as soon as possible. Build up your savings. Postpone any life altering decisions and learn to live within your means. Lastly, keep your faith in God. God is still in control no matter how chaotic things will get. If your foundation is built on the Rock, the storm cannot affect you (Matthew 7:24-27).
At the beginning of this blog I made a reference to Paul’s journey to Rome (Acts 27). If you’re familiar with the story, you know the story doesn’t end so well for the cargo and the ship but there is a happy ending. All 276 passengers survived the shipwreck and a revival broke out on the island of Malta resulting in many people being healed through Paul’s ministry (Acts 28:1-10). Although the United States of America may come out of the storm not looking so good, the silver lining is God is going to save us and bring revival to our nation. It’s coming and this is the hope that I look forward to.
Joshua Hawk 