Pray for the nation

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29: 11

THERE are deep and troubling thoughts in South Africa today, also in Christian circles, about how to deal with the public anarchy that has erupted on so many of the streets and the malls of our nation. Whatever else we may do to protect ourselves, our homes, our properties, our belongings, and those most vulnerable, prayer must be our first resort, not our last. We are seeing the desperate fruits of decades of racism, ethnic tribal rivalry, self-enrichment, and godless exploitation in political and financial matters. This state of affairs must be corrected. We must pray for a change of heart and lifestyle in this nation, for a cure to greed and poverty, and for protection from violence. God wants us to have a future of hope, not of hopelessness. Let’s all get on our knees and pray. As Psalm 33: 12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” He wants us to be at peace.