Pundits this morning are talking about what President George Bush will say tonight  when he stand before the Congress and American people and gives the annual State of the Union speech. He will face a cool reception in the house chamber. Oh, there will be the opening applause when the doors open and the words, "Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States" are intoned by the  usher. The president will shake hand as he works his way down the isle past his cabinet an onto the podium where for the first time in twelve years a Democratic House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, will receive the token copy of the speech. I have always wondered why the speaker is handed a copy of a speech they don't read.

Advance leaks of the speech's content say there will be mention of the war in Iraq, although the speech two weeks ago basically laid out the plan going forward, and a number of domestic items such as health care. No doubt there will also be appeals for bi-partisan efforts to support our troops and pass needed legislation. But it might be better if the message fit the urgency of the times.

America has engaged itself in a war in Afghanistan and Iraq. These engagements followed the 9/11 attacks where more than three thousand Americans lost their lives and the nation was stunned by the reality of the forces of evil arrayed around the world to work against the  current world order. Osama Bin Laden and the Islamic jihadists have been the face of the enemy these last six years. Terrorist attacks have hit Britain, Spain Bali and other smaller places during this time, just enough to remind us they are out there and have not gone away.

I have felt for that President Bush had a wake up call on 9/11 which galvinized his  life into one purpose, to protect America from  future attacks and to "preserve, protect, and defend" this country  and all it stands for. You can criticize his policies, his management of the war, his focus, his personality...anything you want about the man and his politics. I am not defending him from any partisan agenda. I just  strongly feel that on 9/11 he looked into the abyss and clearly saw the danger to this nation.

I also see that other top leaders in this country do not have the same vision and urgency for the grave physical dangers we face. History is repeating itself. Like the 1930's in England we have voices calling for appeasement and moderation. There is the hope that we can pull within a "fortress America" and disengage from the world and go about our business and return to normal. Let's just all go to Disney World and pretend.

But our President has not seen far enough. The  larger danger facing America is spiritual in nature and can be found in Bible prophecy. America, a nation blessed with wealth and power by the hand of God has forgotten Him and all He has given. We have trampled His laws and have come to the point where we fight over the public display of the Ten Commandments. The fourth commandment, to honor the Sabbath, cannot be found in our  material pleasure driven culture. We have not only forgotten the true God but we have forgotten who we are as a people and why we occupy the preeminent position in the world.

We look to our exceptionalism, our military power, and our economic vitality for trust, confidence and security. We pay lip service to a form of religion thinking that will be enough to save us, while we tolerate immorality and indecency and export it to the world. The latest Sundance Film Festival in Utah honors films portraying sexual child abuse and bestiality. This so-called "art" is excused in the name of honesty and realism. It is part of our national sins that God will one day call us to account over.

This nation needs a speech like that given by the prophet Jeremiah when he stood in the capital city of ancient Judah, in front of their national symbol-the temple, and spoke clearly to the spiritual state of the people and the  state.  Here is what he said:

"The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,  "Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD!'"  Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.  Do not trust in these lying words, saying, 'The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these." (Jeremiah 7:1-4)

Jeremiah goes on to list their national sins saying God had often sent warnings to repent and return to the true ways but they insisted in adopting false religion and slipping further into sin. He warns the result will be a national captivity:

"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place - on man and on beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will burn and not be quenched." (Verse 20)

Words like this need to be said tonight. But they won't. We need more than a Churchill. We need a Jeremiah.