SUNDAY SERMON - The past week has left an indelible mark in my conscience. My mind has been seared by the images that kept on popping on the TV set. The faces, the scenes, the madness, and the sheer outrage rolled up in one would have left a normal man in nervous shreds. Much has been said and written about the Genocide and the period of madness, but the question that I would like to ask and later attempt to answer is “Where was God during the whole mayhem?” According to Isaiah 46:10 we find the statement “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times what is still to come…” God knows things backwards and forwards. When man is still trying to understand the present circumstances, God has already seen the end of the situation. I can relate the above statement again to another one in Psalms 107:10–14. “Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. So he subjected them to bitter labour; they stumbled, and there was no one to help them. They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke their chains.” These statements show that God was aware of the suffering of His people even as they suffered and were subjected to the harshest conditions. But the most beautiful words are “They cried to the Lord in their trouble and he saved them from their distress.” Even in the most difficult situation, God has provided a way out for us. The Psalmist said “Even when I pass through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for thou art with me.” I have been struck by a statement in the Holy Bible recorded in 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people, who are called by my Name, will humble themselves, seek my face, pray and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins and will heal their land.” How does God do that? Is it possible for the land to be sick? When I think of the land my mind immediately goes to things like the skyline, the roads, factories, streets, schools, hotels, the hills and valleys. But, I know I am mistaken because when God looks at the land of Rwanda, He sees more than the hills, valleys, streets and buildings. He also looks at the population of Rwanda as a whole and sees the suffering and evils that are on the land. He looks at our homes both in the villages and in the city and sees some of the husbands arguing violently with their wives as the children watch in fear. He looks at the heads of families staying out late in night spots and bars as their wives and children go to bed on empty stomachs. Yes, God looks at the many families who go to bed at night in fear of their neighbours who have discriminated and ostracised them for a long time. God goes through the by-ways and highways of our city and countryside and sees the young faceless boys and girls peddling drugs, idling time away with hopelessness written all over their faces. God comes into our homes and is shocked by the sight of teenage girls procuring abortions. Sometimes God passes through the hospitals, homes for the sick and weary, and suffers at the bedsides of people who are suffering the irreversible effects of aids and extreme deprivation. His heart groans with overwhelming pity when he sees the loneliness on these people’s faces. God sees the utter desperation of people who are still unsaved, those who have not accepted Jesus as their personal saviour, hanging on the cliff of disaster ready to fall to eternal damnation. He sees the church, yes, His own church, and watches Christians sitting idly in their homes with television remote controls in their hands, enjoying themselves and oblivious of what is going on around them. So when He calls on His people to humble themselves and seek His face, He knows what He is talking about. God is asking us to pray and turn from our wicked ways as a condition for healing our land. It says further that He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins and thereafter heal our land. My countrymen and women, God calls for confession of sins. Not simple remorse that comes not from the heart, but the confession written in Nehemiah 9:1–3. “On the 24th day of the same month, the Israelis gathered together, fasting and wearing sack-clothes and having dust on their heads…. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers.” Healing of the land involves healing of the physical land, the ground, the farms, the ranches, the rivers, and the hills. We should be able to see the rich foliage of vegetation in our countryside. We need to see an abundance of healthy crops growing in our farms. We need to see sparkling clean waters running down our rivers and through the pipes leading to our homes. We need to see the beautiful spaces in the city centre populated by people admiring the wonderful work of nature, the beautiful flowers, trees and grass. We want to see healthy cattle, goats and sheep in our homesteads producing plentiful milk, meat and hides. We need to see the wild animals in our game parks trotting and jumping for joy presenting a wonderful spectacle for tourists and other visitors. Yes, we need to see a complete healing of our land. There is no doubt that our land needs healing. We shall then be able to see happy, law-abiding, economically empowered people of this land, old men and women, young adults, teenagers and children lifting their hands up and praising Jesus. My prayer is that God will forgive us for our unbelief and apathy so that we can realise that there is no city, country or land and people that cannot be redeemed. He stands at the entrance of our hearts begging us to allow Him to come in and sup with us. May he renew our hearts, our land and its people. NB: I would like to thank my regular readers for their faithfulness since the advent of these articles in March 2006. I will be moving to another African country by the end of April, 2008. While I do not want to say this is the end of my articles, I promise to contribute occasionally if my work will allow. Thank you again and may God bless you all. Contact: redplan20002001@yahoo.com
