ASSEMBLIES OF GODGreetings and welcome to the July 2026 edition of Creating Connections from the Office of Hispanic and Ethnic Relations. This month, the United States of America will celebrate its 250th birthday. We are grateful for all that God has done in our nation, but most importantly, for the fact that our founding fathers stood for and defended the right of its citizens to freely worship God and practice their faith without prohibition. History teaches us that nations and civilizations have risen and fallen, and that God Himself determines their appointed times. The apostle Paul speaking to the men of Athens from the Areopagus said of God, “and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each of us” (Acts 17:26-27, NASB). Therefore, we can take nothing for granted and should always offer up thanksgiving to God. I hope you will join one of the many Assemblies of God prayer sites around the nation on July 4, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in every time zone, or simply join in prayer at that hour from wherever you are.
Today, I want to briefly address God’s message to the prophet Jeremiah found in Jeremiah 18. The reason for addressing this well-known passage, known as God’s message to Jeremiah from the Potter’s House, is that it explains how and why nations rise and fall, and that it is indeed God who speaks His plan and purpose over nations. In Jeremiah 18:1-6, we read that God told Jeremiah to arise and go down to the potter’s house and observe the potter. Let's read Jeremiah 18:3-6 NLT which says, “So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. Then the Lord gave me this message: ‘O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.’”
This message to the prophet Jeremiah was visually illustrated and conveyed God’s mercy and willingness to restore a nation that had turned its back on God and had become sinful and corrupt before Him. God was saying that when a nation repents of its evil, He can and will remake it. This had been the story of Israel, God’s people, and this message was given to them as one of many that God had been sending, demonstrating His patience and desire to restore them rather than destroy them. They were headed for judgment at the hands of the Babylonians, but God offered them His hesed, which in Hebrew meant His mercy and loving kindness, if they turned back to Him. But this message was also meant for more than just the people of Israel. It applied to any nation, as we read in Jeremiah 18:7-10: “If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. And if I announce that I will plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom, but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.”
God’s message to Jeremiah at the Potter’s House has application to the United States of America. We believe God has raised up this nation and has blessed and prospered this nation. America has had more opportunities to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ than any other nation. In our history, we have verifiable moments when God has sent spiritual awakenings that have changed the population's moral direction, turning people back to righteous living before God. Have we, as a nation, averted God’s wrath and judgment more than once? I believe historians will attest to that. Has God saved our nation from wars and calamities more than once? I believe many will agree with that. America has been blessed by God, and America needs God’s continued blessing. Why do nations fall? What happens to nations that have been blessed by God, which are many, but then they begin to decline? How does this happen? The Apostle Paul gives us some insight in Romans 1:18-22 which reads: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.”
Notice that the downfall begins when a nation no longer honors God or gives Him thanks. That might seem insignificant to some, but ingratitude marks the moment when nations begin to spiral into futility and darkness. But that is why Paul, in the same portion of his letter to the Romans, wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
The path back to light and righteousness is found in the message of the cross. God’s forgiveness and restoration are all found in Jesus. Therefore, as American history proves, our nation has risen from very dark times because the gospel of Jesus Christ has been faithfully preached in churches and even on street corners across the nation. The message from the Potter’s House still offers hope to America and to any nation willing to humbly honor God and His name, give Him thanks, and heed His message of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ! Amen and Amen. Happy 4th of July!
Dennis Rivera
Director, Hispanic & Ethnic Relations
