We Have Prayed - Why all This Violence Then?

The connection between Rugby and Prayer

Recently everybody was excited about what the Lord God has done during the It’s Time prayer meeting. People have testified to changes that have happened in their hearts and health, we have seen miracles of prayer meetings taken place in certain local government as well as breakthroughs in cases of corruption. Yet, soon after the ‘It’s Time’ prayer meeting, violence broke out in Coligny, and since then there were more reports of violence.

Has God not answered our prayers?

Has He even paid attention to them?

What’s the point of praying then?

These and many more questions are on the lips of South Africans. I hear it from people and I see it.

So what is happening? Why is it that all hell appears to be loose so soon after we had such a dynamic breakthrough at Bloemfontein? There are two potential reasons.

1.   God tests our faith.

He specialises in it. Throughout the Bible and throughout life there are evidence that the Lord tested people. He wants to see whether we are going to keep believing against all odds. Are we going to be faithful in doing what we have committed to in Bloemfontein – mobilise prayer wherever we go? The latter brings me to the second point, which I discussed in an earlier post some time ago.

2.   We are at war. This is one thing Christians need to get their minds around. We simply cannot live life at leisure as if we do not have an enemy. If we look at what is happening in terms of violence and other kinds of attacks so soon after the prayer meeting, we can consider the fact that Satan is determined to discourage our faith, and God uses it to see whether we will stand (Ephesians 6:13).

3.    

The articles I will place over a few days are called ‘Wars and Sports’, and since South Africans are so keen on Rugby, this will appeal to you and bring understanding.

Wars and Sports (Part One)

 Paul said “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” (2 Timothy 4:7).

He mentioned two types of events here – fighting and sport. Man loves to battle things out. In the past there were many wars due to this nature of man. Before firearms were developed, battles used to be face to face combating where technique and skill played a major role. The army or individual with the greatest skill would drive the other back and overpower them.

Skill and technique are also essential in modern day sports, which by grace replaced war in the developed countries as an outlet for man’s desire to battle. Instead of killing one another to determine which individual or country is the strongest, these battles are these days fought in sports in most countries. In rugby, for instance, each team has a goal line to defend. Through sheer power mixed with clever technique and refined skill, the primary objective of each of these forces is to reach their goal, while the opponents use every skill and strength they have to stop the other from reaching their goal.

 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 6:12).

 The primary aim of sin and the evil forces mentioned above is to stop us from reaching our goal and destiny, which is to please the Lord through obedience and faith and accomplish what He planned for us. They will put temptations in our way to distract us and offer us all kinds of pleasurable activities and thoughts to replace those that are beneficial to the Kingdom of God.

 In order for us to stay focused and accomplish that which the Lord put before us, we have to stop these forces from reaching their goal, which is why it is called wrestling. Through using all the weapons and armour made available to us, we are actively in battle. If we are determined to accomplish what the Lord planned for us, the evil forces will make every effort to hinder and stop us (as in the recent case of our Bloemfontein commitment). If we are scared to fight or are unaware of this battle, we will give up and become unproductive to God.

 In my life I have often had relational battles or major temptations to sin just before a major spiritual victory. If we sin deliberately, God cannot use us, which is why Uncle Angus had the crowd at Bloemfontein first of all confess our weaknesses and sin. So when we have built up a work of God with Him for a while and start seeing fruit, the devil will suddenly lay an attractive temptation to sin before us, which we will obviously resist. He is headed towards his goal line, though, and we are defending. The same applies when an attack from him challenges our faith, like in the case of the violence. Just as in rugby, he will not stop. He will come again and again, so we will have to stay in active defence. Sometimes we are getting tired and just want to rest a bit, which may lead to a victory to the enemy. Another technique of his is to stir up conflict, for instance, to introduce a family fight just before you have to minister or serve. You then feel unworthy, although ministry after such an event usually has much power, which is why the devil tries to stop it. Therefore, in the light of the violence that happened after April 22^nd we can expect major breakthroughs if we stay faithful in prayer, for Satan frantically tries to sow fear so we would hopefully give up the fight. There is nothing he desires more than for us to settle back into a relaxed mode, so he can continue destroying our land.

 This is not easy, which is why Paul told Timothy to “share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus,” (2 Timothy 2:3). We are not to have a comfortable life. “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him,” (2 Timothy 2:4).

 Lord, I desire to rather suffer and be obedient than to be comfortable. We keep praying for our land.