Kingdom-0-Metre
Dumi Mmualefe | Monday October 15, 2012 00:00
'If my people, those called by my name...' (2 Chronicles 7:14). Humility is one of the virtues we hold high as Batswana. Humility seems to be a key that unlocks the gates of grace and God's mercy so much that in teaching us to be of the same mind with the Lord, Paul teaches that we should not regard ourselves more highly than others. Most importantly, he goes on to implore us to be like the Lord who though equal with God did not see equality with God as something to fight over. Instead, Jesus emptied himself (kenosis) and became like a servant. The Lord teaches us that he came to minister (serve) and not to be ministered unto (to be served).
When times were difficult Israel called upon the name of the Lord, the God of their ancestors. It is this same God that David purposed to build a temple for but it could only be his son who would see that purposed intention to serve fulfilled. Often we want to do good and noble things for God. We serve our communities and do praiseworthy things, but sometimes we do not even get the praise and we hurt. We do not know what would have become of David had he been the one to dream about, plan, build and complete the house for the Lord.
Like David, Moses through God's calling purposed to lead God's people to liberation. This liberation was by and large political liberation. This was liberation from oppression at the hands of the enemies of God: enemies of God because those who purpose to be enemies of God's people by oppressing, exploiting and dehumanising them by whatever means are enemies of God. It is God who gives us our humanity therefore to de-humanise what God purposed to create human is to purpose against God's purpose. God is still the liberating God who hears the cries of those oppressed and also sees the miseries of those who suffer at the hands of the oppressors. The yoke of oppression humbled Israel and she cried to God whose hand is not shortened that he cannot rescue. God emancipates from all forms of oppression. Among such are ailments, demonic possession in all its forms, self-doubt, hatred, self-idolization: the list is endless.
God has a way of dealing with inflated ego. Not wanting Moses to fall into the pride and self-idolization, God walked with Moses as he led the liberation movement to the Promised Land. Just when Moses could smell the smoke from sacrificial fires and even smell the essence and burnt offerings, just when Moses was about to sing the victory song for the once oppressed nation to respond in praise and worship, God took him to the mountain top to have a brief look at the glorious future he had led God's people to. This was the end of the road for Moses lest he boasted! He was saved from the possibility of self-praise. Moses was told he had seen the Promised Land but he would not enter it. He had served his purpose, God's purpose; time had come to pass on the baton!
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. recalls this when in his sermon he prophetically declared; 'I have been to the mountain top and I have seen the Promised Land; I may not get there with you!' Needless to say, he did not get there with the oppressed of God who experienced this glorious promise fulfilled. Again I wonder what would have become of the good ol' reverend had he got to the Promised Land with those who were treated as though they were some kind of social cancer! Would he have wanted to have a large or even the largest cake in the running of the Land of Promise? Would that humbling humility have ended in I-deserve-to-lead pride? While his heinous killing cannot be taken to be God's will, he had run his race and could only do as much!
God calls us, not just everyone, but those who are 'called by my name' to humble ourselves and pray. If we are to humble ourselves and pray, God would hear our prayers, like in Moses' day, the time of our liberation would be announced. But humility comes with sacrifice, sacrifice of the self; it comes with committing to the purpose of God to act for justice, it is a risky business. It comes with abandoning our comforts. It demands that the Church should look itself in the mirror and see if it is a church. It demands a radical change; a metanoia from being a right wing religious movement that it has relegated itself to be, from being too heavenly focused to be of any earthly use, to be the Exodus Liberation Movement Moses led!
God promises to heal our land. Often we are concerned about our individual physical, emotional and spiritual health. Men, children and women of God declare healing on us, we claim and accept it! But our land is sick to the core and we seem to see no urgency in praying, proclaiming, claiming and accepting healing for our land, our Botswana! The Sunday before last we prayed for Botswana, for our president and all our political leaders. A special prayer was said for Kgosi Kgolo Kgafela II and Bakgatla. We need to be fearless in our submitting to God. All is not well in this country, all is not well in Kgatleng and it can take 'those called by my name.' If no healing comes because God has not heard from heaven, it will be 'those called by my name' who would be blameworthy! Things can only get worse in this country politically, economically, socially, etc unless 'those called by my name humble themselves and pray... and leave their wicked ways!' Take note: this message is for those, and we need not shift the blame to those not! Oh a special prayer was said for rain, God's creatures, animals, birds, fish etc are facing difficult times!
As for those in political office, those in God's ministry, remember the self-praise trap. When things do not happen at you pace, remember the purpose is not yours. You may never enjoy the fruits of your labour; in any case it is not yours, it is God's labour! You could be a David or Moses! To the Church; politicians alone cannot take this country where it should be, it will take spiritual humility and fearless commitment: and a shift from obtaining right wing religious orientation. God wills to heal our land! To God be the glory!