Riding a Sinking Ship

I have never actually been on a ship that is sinking, but I am pretty sure I know exactly how it would feel... especially if the ship were sinking in a painfully slow dance with death.
There would be an oppressive feeling of impending doom bringing about feelings of panic and a heightened sense of survival. There would be conflicting thoughts of determination to find a way of escape, battling a resignation to the outcome that is out of your control. Fear for your loved ones and desperately wanting to rescue them from certain disaster, battling thoughts of wanting to pull the covers over your head to hide from the certainty of what you face.

Isn't that the feeling you get when you contemplate the future of our country... of our world?
Or am I alone in these thoughts?

I like to think that I am a strong, capable and resourceful man, but I'm not so sure anymore. There is so much that I do not understand and so little control I can exert over the circumstances that I face. Corruption and greed have consumed our world to the highest levels of government and hedonism permeates the very core of our society. I truly see what Paul meant when he said to Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:1-3 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good.

How much worse are we today than Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them? I would venture to guess not much. More than ever I get the feeling that God has started to let the clock wind down. That He has relegated our world to its own evil lust. I would love to see revival come to our country, to our world… but I am fearful that the time for this is passing. It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t continue to do our part. In fact there are still many opportunities, revival has come to many countries, China, the Middle East and a host of others have millions of people converting… but our country has begun to grow dark, and with each passing day we take one more step closer to the darkness we have embraced.

I feel like my wife places the burden for the problems we face upon my shoulders. She doesn't see it as every one is struggling to get by... just us. Never considering the problem is bigger than me and the solution beyond my control. There was a time when I could over come any obstacle, and upward and forward were the only direction we traveled... but somewhere between then and now God decided to shake things up a bit. It's weird but the farther away from Him I have been, the louder I have heard His voice... and the closer to where I know He wants me to be, the quieter He has become.
I can't figure out whether the problem is with me, or if there even is a problem. Maybe this is the way it is supposed to be... or maybe it is the times we live in, and He is just saying, ''Shhhhh, be still, be quiet, just sit down and watch, the rest is up to me... now it's my turn''.

As a Father and a Husband I wish I had the answer. I used to think I did, but I'm not so sure anymore. I know He has given us the final answer... it just seems that lately I can't find the answer for today.

In these dark days, as the light grows dim and it becomes harder and harder to see the way, more than ever I pray that my back would bear the calluses from the yoke of the guiding hand of God.

There is a song by Mercy Me that starts out with: ''Take this world from me... I don't need it anymore. I am finally free, my heart is spoken for''.

As I watch the world around me continue on its downward spiral, I long for the day when we as God's children are all finally free from the bonds of our human existence, and we can get off this sinking ship.