Moment in the Word

Haggai 1:9 "You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?" says the LORD of hosts. "Because My house is in ruins, while every one of you runs to your own home."

 

 

Despite all the current problems with deteriorating foreign relations, the Covid-19 pandemic, financial instability, unemployment, evictions, closed businesses, social unrest, escalating crime, burning cities, etc., yet this year's grain harvest in the Midwest looked abundant, at least until August 10.

Just a few days ago, the promising prospect of autumn bounty suddenly changed in only a matter of hours. On August 10th, a "derecho" swept across six of our central states turning optimism into utter despair.

A derecho is a land-based "hurricane-without-an-eye" that packs winds in the triple-digits. Blowing at 112 miles per hour across 770 miles of farmland, the storm on August 10th hit Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan with the force of a category 3 hurricane or an F1 tornado, wiping out a total of 10 million acres of crops ready to be brought in from the field, netting a loss of 150 million bushels of corn... not to mention soybeans.

In Iowa alone, twenty-five counties were declared disaster areas, but recovery is handicapped by both international trade wars as well as the global pandemic.

Warning ancient Israel about their unrepentant sin, God spoke to the prophet Haggai and said, "You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?" says the LORD of hosts. "Because My house is in ruins, while every one of you runs to your own home."

While this final church age of Laodicea dishonestly boasts in America, "I am rich, increased with goods, and have need of nothing," God declares the truth of the matter, "You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." Revelation 3:17

Sadly, our spiritual house has fallen into disrepair while we have individually pursued our own selfish agendas, and God is now demanding that we repent of our neglect and delinquency. Today, the Western Church flaunts and promotes many secular trends that are popular among the unsaved masses but have absolutely nothing to do with God's Law or Jesus Christ. Consequently, America faces the same stark future that ancient Israel did prior to the Babylonian Captivity, "I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away. 19Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away." Isaiah 28:17 & 19

Although they were repeatedly warned by the prophets that God was poised to harshly judge them, Israel deceived itself by saying, "God will never do those things to us because we have His Holy Temple here (Jeremiah. 7:4)!"

However, this was God's response, "I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds... 13While you were doing these wicked things, says the LORD, I spoke to you about it repeatedly, but you would not listen. I called out to you, but you refused to answer. 14So just as I destroyed Shiloh (home of the ancient tabernacle), I will now destroy this Temple that bears my name, this Temple that you trust in for help, this place that I gave to you and your ancestors. 15And I will send you out of my sight..." Jeremiah 7:5, 13-15

Vainly we shout "God bless America!" without repenting of our sin since the storm of God's wrath is already decimating the heartland as it also rages against the door of the Church! Instead of playing deceptive games, it's time for Americans to kneel and repent!