propheticmoments

In my last issue of Prophetic Moments, as a followup to the election, I wrote the following: "We will now see six months or so of renewed national hope. I believe this hope will be largely delusionary. I believe that America as we have known it will now be irrevocably changed as we swing ever more to the left politically and philosophically and ever more toward a kind of globalism that may threaten certain elements of our national sovereignty. Following this six months of hope, I saw a whirlwind of confusion and change that appeared to me as a small tornado with papers caught up and swirling in it. I hesitate to speculate on what that may mean because I'm not certain of what I've heard, so on that score I'll remain silent until I hear more."

You may also recall that a year ago I prophesied this rollercoaster and the fear it would produce. Witness the stock market gyrating 500-plus points every day as just one example. I also said that I felt the Lord told me that in the midst of this our economy would not collapse and that we believers need not fear. Our Father loves and cares for us.

I still see a coming swing to the left and an erosion of election-generated hope on the horizon. I still see a whirlwind of change and confusion approaching. Our tendency as conservative Christians is to view these things as portents of doom, but other conclusions are possible, so listen carefully.

The nation is bathed in fear. Our government is currently working on rescue packages to prop up our shaky economy. I believe the Lord has told me that the financial rescue for the U.S. will not come from government intervention but from some other source. Something surprising and unexpected is going to happen that has to do with the intervention of God. It will not be because of anything President Obama will do, although he’ll go along with it. God is our provider anyway, isn't He?

I further sense that Barack Obama has the capacity to become a great president if we will leave off the doomsaying and faithfully pray for him. We may not like or agree with his stances on abortion and gay marriage (among other issues), but he does have some qualities crucial to such a time as this. He has the ability to inspire the masses through his powerful gift of oratory. This is precisely what what the country needs right now to dispel the gripping fear that now cripples us - and it is fear alone that sustains the current crisis! Thanks to government help, banks have the money to lend. Unemployment remains 3.5 points below the more than 10 percent it reached in the 1980's. Gasoline prices have fallen 50 percent from their devastating highs. People therefore do have money to spend. Fear alone prevents them and so they hoard it. As consumers refuse to spend, economies contract and jobs are lost, so the cycle of fear feeds itself.

President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) once called the presidency a "bully pulpit", rightly understanding the true power of the president to rest not so much in his policies as in his ability to inspire with his words. If we will faithfully pray for Barack Obama, he has the gift of inspiration we need for the nation to rise out of this crisis. We would have a very different view of George Bush today had he possessed a similar gift.

I therefore call us back once more to I Timothy 2:1-4, "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

I've had enough of the Christian "hate face". Haven't you? It's time to pray.