This week, I want to revisit a prophetic word I shared during the 2023 Vision Conference. It is not part of the “40 Prophecies” list I have been discussing recently, but I believe this word will have big implications for the United States in the days to come.
This is the word I shared: “Senator Mitch McConnell’s career in the Senate is soon to be over. Health and age will require him to go out. His coming out of power as the Senate Minority Leader will ultimately lead to the deinstitutionalization of the conservative Republican party. It won’t just be institutional Republicanism anymore. Even though neither party is right or perfect in everything, I will say that nobody will ever be able to win the Republican nomination as president running on the same platform that they ran on before Trump came into the picture, because he brought so many new people into the party. Senator Mitch McConnell’s days are numbered in the Senate and as the Senate Minority Leader.”
This prophetic word has been fulfilled. On February 28, McConnell announced he will no longer be the Republican Senate leader starting in November, when a new one will be elected. He was first elected to this role in 2006 and has won nine straight elections (Tackett).
While speaking to the Senate, he cited his age—82—and a recent family loss as reasons for the change. McConnell said he plans to finish his Senate term, which ends in January 2027, but “from a different seat in the chamber.” He also quoted Ecclesiastes 3:1, which says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Senate).
Though he did not address them directly, there have been questions about McConnell’s health, including questions that were raised after he appeared to “freeze up” while answering questions from reporters in July and August 2023. He had also reportedly suffered a concussion after a fall in March 2023. In a meeting with Senate colleagues in September 2023, he vowed to try to serve out his term as Senate Minority Leader despite those events (Jalonik).
On March 6, McConnell officially endorsed President Donald Trump in his presidential race. Though McConnell and Trump have not always seen eye to eye, McConnell said, “It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States” (Raju).
Ecclesiastes 3:1, the verse McConnell quoted during the announcement he was stepping down from his Senate leadership role, is the start of a passage that talks about how new seasons are inevitable.
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to gain, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
McConnell announcing he is stepping down from his role and endorsing Trump do seem to indicate that Republican leadership is about to enter a new season, which will have implications for the nation as whole. Only God knows exactly what this will look like, but I encourage you to pray.
Pray for God’s will to be done this election year and as we prepare to enter a new season in government leadership. Pray also for a smooth transition as McConnell prepares to step down and someone new is elected to his role. Also pray for the Republican party and that God will place people in all the political offices they need to be in this season, from the local level all the way up to the national level.
Jalonik, Mary Clare. “McConnell tries to reassure colleagues about his health, vows to serve out term as Senate GOP leader.” AP News, 6 September 2024, https://apnews.com/article/senate-mitch-mcconnell-freeze-health-concussion-960af7f541b05754011171754acfe94f. Accessed 6 March 2024.
Raju, Manu. “Mitch McConnell endorses Donald Trump for president after years of frosty ties.” CNN, 3 March 2024, https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/06/politics/mitch-mcconnell-endorses-trump/index.html. Accessed 6 March 2024.
Senate Republican Leader. “McConnell Remarks On Last Term As Republican Leader.” Senate.gov, 28 Feb. 2024, https://www.republicanleader.senate.gov/newsroom/remarks/mcconnell-remarks-on-last-term-as-republican-leader. Accessed 6 March 2024.
Tackett, Michael, “McConnell will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November after a record run in the job.” AP News, 28 Feb. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-senate-republican-leader-stepping-down-ba478d570a4561aa7baf91a204d7e366. Accessed 6 March 2024.
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