Zimbabwe and Prayer

via Zimbabwe and Prayer – The Zimbabwean 26/01/2016 by Eddie Cross

In recent times we have witnessed a national debate concerning the President calling the nation to prayer. There have been remarks for and against this coming event. I believe we need to stop listening to the voice of man and start listening to the voice of God.

My oft asked question for our country is how can we expect God’s blessings upon our land without first repenting of the sin that besets the church, the government and the people? An acknowledgement and confession of the evil deeds found in this nation leading to repentance should precede us going to prayer and asking the Lord to fix every mess we have made whilst we remain unrepentant and continue in our sinful ways. “Someday these sinners will cry to the Lord for help, but He will not answer them. He will hide His face from them at that time, because they have done such wicked deeds.” Micah 3:4

Why are those heads of denominations not pointing the government and the people to the road of repentance first? Does the church honestly believe that Zimbabwe is innocent of terrible transgression before the Lord looking at itself, the church, first and understanding that judgement starts in the house of God and then turning to the tragic misgovernance of this nation that has resulted in much destruction and then turning to us, the people, who have been swept up in all this and become a nation of bribery, corruption, greed, lies, hatred, unforgiveness, immorality and much more. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2

There lies the tragedy of the Gukurahundi, the chaos and bloodshed of the land reform, the violence of the 2008 elections and all the murder and violence that has beset our nation unconfessed as sin and buried deep in our nation’s history where some would hope the Lord has not seen and that He may have forgotten. “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide My eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood.” Isaiah 1:15

We Zimbabweans sin with impunity and in our arrogance and blindness do not understand that we are reaping what we have sown. The government is reaping what it has sown and the people are reaping likewise. Is the church and are we as a nation so spiritually blind and deaf and hardhearted that we cannot understand the events of the past nearly 36 years of our independence and also preceding that independence are impacting our nation? Until sin is confessed and repented of it will not go away. ”He does not answer when people cry out because of the arrogance of the wicked.” Job 35:12

Without true broken hearted repentance; a turning from our wickedness of which listed would fill pages, to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ with all our hearts confessing our sins and admitting our utter dereliction of what is really true and good in the church, in government and in individuals we cannot see a quick fix for this nation. God will not be mocked. He has set a standard by His Son and we have trampled upon that grace and truth and think He owes us His blessings as we carry on walking our merry, arrogant and evil path. “When they fast, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and grain offerings to Me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine and disease.” Jeremiah 14:12

Simply stated: No repentance! No restoration!