Who Will Weep for America?

Thursday, May 4, is the National Day of Prayer (NDP) in America.

I had the privilege of helping establish it as the first Thursday in May during the mid to late 1980’s. In 2023, we must tearfully call upon God to revive and restore our nation because we are in grave trouble as a people.

Who will weep for America?

Who Will Weep for America?

You can read here a brief history of the National Day of Prayer I wrote during the Covid-19 epidemic. It’s a powerful story that every American should know and cherish. 

I spent many years traveling the nation calling the American people to repent before God, unite as God’s people, and work for spiritual and societal renewal in our nation. 

In 1978, an Australian servant of the Lord delivered a prophetic word. I shared it in many places across the United States.

Who Will Weep for America?

My heart is broken for America, says the Lord of hosts. Who will weep for the pleasant land that I built with my own hands?

For it was I who built her, and I will tear her down. I built her mountain forests. I built her fruitful fields. I built her pleasant streams and waterways. It was I, even I, who built the factories and mills.

It was I who built her pleasant cities with schools and courts and parks. It was I who filled the land with churches that American might know my ways. Yes, it was I who built the pleasant land to be a blessing to the whole earth.

I built America to be a mighty instrument in my hand to harvest the nations, that every tribe, tongue, people, and nation might know of my Son.

I filled America with every resource needed to reach the ends of the earth with my salvation, but my people have become hardened to my Spirit and have squandered the resources on their own vain pursuits.

My heart is broken for America, the pleasant land that I built. I have removed my blessing from your cities. They will be a blight to your land, your schools will become a terror, and your courts a mockery.

Will you not weep for America for her ruin is at hand?

Yet you will say to me, ‘But Lord, we have been involved in missions.’ But I will say to you that American is like a son whose father told him to plow a field which could be plowed in a day. At the end of the day, the father returned to find only a tenth of the field plowed.

The father said, ‘Son, why have you disobeyed me?’ The son replied, ‘I haven’t disobeyed you. Look, I have been plowing.’ But the father said, ‘Son, this whole field could have been plowed in a day. You have disobeyed me and must be disciplined.’

Therefore, America, hear the word of the Lord. I have given you much leisure time, but you haven’t used that time to cry out for the lost. You have simply ignored them and used the time for your own pleasure. Therefore I am taking away your leisure time.

I have given you much financial wealth. But you haven’t used that wealth to extend my kingdom to those perishing in darkness. Therefore, I will take away your wealth.

I have given you many sons and daughters. But you have not sent them into my kingdom work. Therefore you will lose your sons and daughters to the world.

I have given you peace in your cities that you may do the work of my kingdom unhindered. But you have used the peace only to deepen your slumber. Therefore, I am removing your peace.

Oh, America, that you would change your ways and obey me. My heart is broken over the destruction of the pleasant land which I have built.

I long to bless you, but day after day you increase my anger with the selfish way you use the resources I gave you. The more I give, the more you spend on yourselves. And when you give, it is only out of your abundance.

America, I call you to quickly change your ways lest I tear this land to pieces and there will be no one to deliver you. Do you actually think I will bless your selfish way of living? 

Does not my Word say that I give the Holy Spirit to those who obey me? Bring forth deeds that are suitable to real repentance. 

Yet even now, says the Lord, if this land will repent and let your hearts be broken for the lost in your cities and around the world, if you will live as my Son showed you…if you will obey my command to go and make disciples of all nations, then I will pour out a blessing on this land such as the world has not seen.

That word is more relevant today than it was forty-five years ago.

In my new book One Small Life (to be released in August), I share a scene from Hastings, Nebraska in 1996 when “Who Will Weep for America?” was read at a city-wide Revive America gathering:

The final city-wide service was scheduled for 2:30 pm, Sunday January 28, 1996–early in the day to accommodate the Super Bowl that night. A large crowd was on hand as Paul Hawkins spoke, many wearing Cornhusker “red.”

Paul finished the message by sharing a written prophecy called “Who Will Weep for America?” After he handed me the microphone, I started crying as the Spirit of God came upon me in groanings too deep for words. Soon, the entire audience went to their knees, weeping, praying, and asking for God’s forgiveness.

[We] called the youth forward during this time of repentance to have them pray for the pastors who lined the front of the stage. Much generational reconciliation took place, along with a free flow of tears, prayers, and worship that continued for hours on end.

At the close, we shared communion together, signed a Covenant to pray for revival, and rejoiced in God’s work.

The Super Bowl was over. And nobody cared because God came down.

Here is a portion of a prayer that Anne Graham Lotz recently wrote about America’s future and youth. It’s being called “Tears Over America.”

As I consider my generation—and the ones that follow— I am appalled.

We are in a spiritual and moral free fall. A great darkness of lies, unbelief, ignorance, and evil covers the world. People are living as though You, God, do not exist. I shudder to think of what future generations will face, the generations of my children and grandchildren. Unless they rebuild the foundation of authentic faith, our nation will crumble. It is crumbling now.

In the midst of political turmoil, racial division, social upheaval, financial uncertainty, virus pandemics, and worldwide chaos, I earnestly pray for my children and grandchildren….

Redeem my parenting mistakes and failures. Help my children and grandchildren overcome the consequences of my sins. Keep them from falling away from You into sin. I long to see them one day presented before Your glorious presence without fault and with great joy. On that day, I will humbly bow and worship You for Your goodness, grace, and faithfulness to all generations.

For the glory of Your great name—Jesus, Amen.

Let’s join our hearts together this National Day of Prayer. Those who sow in tears will also reap with joy (Psalm 126:5,6).