Even as lawlessness rises and justice falters, hope for America does not rest in politics or power, but in the unchanging sovereignty of God, Who is still stirring revival in the next generation.
Recently I was talking with my sister, and as usual, we soon started on a tangent of all the problems with the country and how we thought everything ought to be. Then I said, “The United States is beyond hope.”
It wasn’t just momentary frustration or a passing comment. It was the cumulative weight of headline after headline — crime without consequence, evil without restraint, justice turned on its head. If you’re honest, you’ve felt it too. Something in this country is breaking, not slowly or quietly, but openly and without shame.
That sense of collapse is not abstract. It shows up in real cases, with real victims.
Consider the murder of Iryna Zarutska. The man charged with killing her, Decarlos Brown, had been arrested 14 times prior to the attack. After committing the crime, he reportedly shouted that he “got that white girl.” Yet despite being deemed competent in prior encounters with the justice system, he has now been ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial.
This is not merely a failure of process. It is a picture of a system that increasingly struggles to deliver justice at all.
But the moment the words of despair left my mouth, I felt conviction. If God still reigns, hope is not on the ballot, and it does not rise or fall with court decisions or election cycles. It is anchored in the unchanging character of God, and that changes everything.
The state of our country is grim. Abortion is still the leading cause of death in America. Judicial corruption locks the will of the people in chains and lets the criminals free. Deporting violent illegal aliens and securing our elections are seen as unimportant despite overwhelming public outcry.
And yet, that is not the whole story.
Last year, Virgil Walker and I each wrote articles about the religious movement among Gen Z men. I’m happy to report that recent poll data suggests that this trend is not fading.
According to Gallup, in 2024-2025, 42 percent of Gen Z men said religion is “very important” in their lives, a marked increase from the 28 percent who said the same thing in 2022-2023. This is the highest mark for young men in 25 years, even as nearly every other demographic continues to decline.
Men ages 18–29 are also attending religious services at the highest rate since 2012-2013. While attendance has declined steadily among other age groups, both Gen Z men and women are attending religious services at an increased rate.
Researchers are unsure whether the growth is genuine revival or a cultural reaction, since the increase is largely driven by Republicans. Since 2022-2023, Republican women’s attendance rose eight points while Republican men’s rose seven points. Democrat men also saw modest growth, while Democrat women saw little change.
Whatever the motivation, the fruit is visible, particularly on college campuses.
In September 2023 one such revival occurred at Auburn University in which hundreds of students professed faith in Christ and were baptized. That event, known as Unite Auburn, launched a broader movement called UniteUs, which continues to hold gatherings across the country; one recent event at Samford University saw 64 students baptized.
Two years ago UniteUs founder Tonya Prewett and her daughter, Madison Prewett Trout, spoke to CBN News about the revivals.
Prewett said, “This is all a move of God. I’m not capable of doing this, we’re not capable of doing this. It’s the hand of God. It’s way bigger than us.”
Prewett Trout explained that it began with her mother praying on campus every day. Then she gathered friends to pray for repentance and revival.
This is how real change begins, not in Washington, but in repentance.
Prayer is not the last resort. It is the first act of faithful obedience. God hears our prayers. He sees repentance, forgives sins, and changes hearts. And changed hearts, devoted to Him, change nations.
But one truth must remain clear: even if our nation does not recover, the Christian is never without hope.
When writing this article, one section of Scripture kept returning to my mind. In the book of Habakkuk, the prophet started his book angry that God would use evil nations to judge Israel, which had spent centuries living in rebellion and lawlessness.
He opens his book writing,
“How long, O Lord, will I call for help,
And You will not hear?
I cry out to You, “Violence!”
Yet You do not save.
Why do You make me see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, destruction and violence are before me;
Strife exists and contention arises.
Therefore the law is ignored
And justice is never upheld.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore justice comes out perverted.”–Habakkuk 1:2-4
Sound familiar?
But as he wrote, Habakkuk realized that God is the holy Creator and Judge and it is not the place of man to question how He delivers His judgments. He ends the book with these famous verses:
“I heard and my inward parts trembled,
At the sound my lips quivered.
Decay enters my bones,
And in my place I tremble.
Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress,
For the people to arise who will invade us.
Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will exult in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.”
–Habakkuk 3:16-19
Our nation is ripe with lawlessness and evil. We have much to repent of, and yet we also have so much to be thankful for. God has not abandoned His people. He continues to call sinners to repentance and to build His Church.
I couldn’t begin to theorize what God’s plans are for our country, whether we will be given over to our depravity and be judged, or whether revival will sweep our country and sanity and goodness will reign.
But either way, God is good. Christ reigns. And for the Christian, hope is not tied to the success or failure of a nation but to the certainty of a King.
Our ultimate hope is Christ. One day all will be made right, and Christ will reign over all.
Until then, we are called to faithful obedience, less complaining, more prayer, and steadfast trust in the God who rules over all.
If you believe America’s future will not be secured by politics alone, but by truth, repentance, and the bold proclamation of God’s Word, stand with us. Your support equips us to confront cultural darkness with clarity, courage, and conviction. Make a tax-deductible gift today and help advance a movement that refuses to surrender hope.
