Did you ever think that you would live to see America in her current shape? Everywhere we look, we see unbelievable lack and chaos.
Our grocery store shelves are not fully stocked, and many items are simply unavailable for purchase. Our pharmacies dispense half-orders or simply apologize for unavailable meds. It costs an average day’s pay to fill our tanks with gas. And forget trying to replace a broken appliance. Instead, join the six-month waiting list for a new refrigerator.
God bless you if you need baby formula because it is almost impossible to find. But if you do hear of a formula delivery via social media, and travel miles across your state to get it, the cost will be exorbitant. So, between the gas to find the formula and its production price hike, it is not a stretch to say that the greatest nation on earth cannot currently feed her children.
And forget real help from our government! National consumer experts casually tell Americans to accept the fact that prices will be higher than ever before. (Remember, they add, it’s all because of the lingering impacts of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the ever-popular theme of global warming, or, when all else fails, the go-to excuse of blaming our past president’s policies.)
Whatever the cause, we also hear of crazy events taking place in every area of national food production. Dozens of fires have halted production in various food processing plants throughout multiple states. Many of these fires devastated meat production factories, and several dairy farms have even lost livestock and facilities to fire.
An avian flu outbreak has resulted in the destruction of thousands of chickens and turkeys, devastating the poultry industry this year. Consequently, experts predict, without blinking, that a dozen eggs could reach $12 by summer’s end.
Beyond the formula shortage, we have experienced recalls of fruits, vegetables, meat products, health foods, and snack foods, including peanut butter. These recalls are blamed on numerous issues, such as Listeria, E. coli, and Salmonella contamination.
Add to these woeful shortages the natural events that are devastating food production. In this year alone, we have suffered damaging tornadoes, widespread wildfires, extreme heat, severe drought, plus water shortages in some places in contrast to massive flooding in others.
Yes, we really are in the middle of some troubling times. If we stop and think about it, since the beginning of 2020, America has and is still dealing with some crazy, unprecedented stuff; events that might bring end-time prophetic scriptures to mind. I mean the plagues, pestilence, famine, and fires mentioned in Lamentations, Matthew, Luke, and the book of Revelation really do come to mind.
But I still say that the verse we SHOULD be considering is 2 Chronicles 7:14:
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
I cannot deny our troubles. And I realize that our sins in America are many. We have killed our own children by the millions; we have refused to follow God’s commands about the sanctity of marriage; and we have pushed His very name out of our schools, our businesses, our governmental offices, our homes, and even our churches, to a large degree.
Those sins are just the tip of the pile of our stinking, self-serving, self-centered sins. So, yes, America deserves destruction. But God sent His only Son to die in our stead, despite our ever-growing mound of sins. As long as we have breath in our bodies, and as long as our nation still exists, we still have hope, and we still have time.
But the plagues, pestilence, famine, and fires we are witnessing could be our final warning. The hourglass of opportunity for America is almost empty.
So, when the troublesome signs of the times inevitably become a topic of conversation in your world, be it with family, friends, coworkers, or even strangers, take the time to share our hope. Take the time to repeat God’s bounteous plan of mercy found in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
Spread His Word; it’s our only hope for healing our beloved America.
