Op-Ed: A Song of Praise for a Difficult Year

By James Wilson • January 7, 2025

The following Op-Ed was submitted by James Wilson. Op-Eds do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those at the Idaho Dispatch.

To say that 2024 was a difficult year is an understatement. High rates of inflation, crime, and a wave of revelations of government incompetence, corruption, and persecution of citizens have left a deep distrust in millions of American hearts. Wars and rumors of wars – apocalyptic verbiage intended – coupled with the uncertainty of whether any of us will be able to pay our bills on our salaries – or even have a job – have facilitated a culture of fear and anger. But there is also an abundance of good news, more than enough to inspire a song of praise for this very difficult year.

First is the good news that Donald Trump will hit the ground running in a comeback without precedent in American history. And there is so much more.

More than a dozen corporate giants have had enough of WOKE ideology from DEI (Diversity-Equity-Inclusion) to supporting transgender mutilation of children. All have announced in the past few weeks the dismantling of their DEI departments. These include Ford, Coors, Lowes, American Airlines, and Boeing. Online pharmacies operated by the largest grocery outlets in the nation have discontinued online sales of abortion drugs; according to The Blaze the only industry leaders still dispensing these atrocities are CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid. Let us pray – and agitate – for the rest to follow suit, and for Costco to join the flight from DEI.

The Hill reports a half dozen major banks – including Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and Bank of America – back pedaling from alliance with the UN established Net-Zero Banking Coalition, a cartel dedicated to forcing climate change compliance through discriminatory lending practices. JP Morgan has announced its withdrawal from Climate Action 100+, a fellow traveler organization.

These banks have yet to actually change their lending practices – unlike the corporations abandoning their DEI programs – but it appears the writing is on the wall and they are reading it. Elections have consequences, praise the Lord.

On the congressional front, Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel announces the death of HRs 15 and 12; these are the so-called Equality Act – 15 would have criminalized politically incorrect speech referencing gay, lesbian, and transgender issues – and 12 would have codified Roe v Wade in federal law. Joe Biden’s efforts to pack the Supreme Court and end the Senate filibuster have failed. DEI and abortion funding have been removed from the National Defense Authorization Act; FEMA – along with DOJ and other federal departments – are being held accountable for diverting funds to illegals, lawfare, and such. The Secret Service is being re-organized under new leadership. Let us praise God for these hopeful beginnings, and let us pray that justice will continue rolling like a mighty river; let us be ready to work as we are each given opportunity to bring this good fruit to harvest.

Liberty Counsel also reports that the World Health Organization has been stopped – for now – in its effort to foist a sovereignty crushing pandemic treaty on the world.

But the good news about 2024 is only just beginning. I have been declaring for years – and I am far from the only one – that the EndTimes Tribulation is here. The three things Jesus said would be the signs of this time – wars and rumors of war, men calling evil good and good evil, and His followers hated for His sake all over the world – are here, and have been for some time. I have also preached and taught that the Fourth Great Awakening – which is very likely the EndTimes Harvest – was underway, albeit still in the birthing room. Intercessors for America confirms my conviction, with statistics to support it, and secular commentator Tucker Carlson – an outspoken believer – concurs.

Terms like revival and awakening are often used interchangeably, but the principal difference between the two – and this is important – is that the former begins in the churches and remains there, while the latter begins outside the Church, and is often rejected by churches until it is eventually welcomed in. Awakenings change nations.

2024 saw major league moves of God in a dozen universities – most of them secular – beginning last February. These included forty-five hundred gathering for worship at Florida State, known as the second largest party school in the nation, two hundred sixty baptized at the University of Alabama in March, and another hundred fifty baptisms at the University of Georgia in April. Eight thousand gathered at the University of Tennessee that same month, and one hundred fifty were baptized there. Similar phenomena occurred at Ohio State University – this one led by football players – as well as the Universities of Florida, Mississippi (Ole Miss, another bigtime party school), and two separate events at Texas A & M. The largest turnout was at University of Arkansas, when ten thousand students from sixty-seven schools showed up for Jesus in September.

Sean Feucht emerged as the first identified leader of this Great Awakening in 2020. His Let Us Worship ministry has just completed its worship tour of the fifty state capitols, baptizing well over one hundred thousand. Sixty-five pastors baptized two thousand at Pirates’s Cove alone – in California’s Orange County – a beach made famous for its role in the Jesus People Movement of the last century, and Lou Engle led the Esthers and Mordecais event at the national capitol mall in October. More than three hundred thousand came in person and ten million participated online. This move of God is also happening – so far – in Indonesia, Cote d’Ivoir, Uganda, Holland, France, Papua New Guinea and – wait for it – Iran.

God said it would begin in California – like the last one – and it did. Let us make a song of praise to the Lord – for what He manifested in 2024 and continues in 2025. May our hands be strong and may His strength be perfected in our weakness.

James A. Wilson is the author of Living As Ambassadors of Relationships, The Holy Spirit and the End Times, Kingdom in Pursuit, and his first novel, Generation – available at Barnes and Nobles, Amazon, or at praynorthstate@gmail.com