Calls for fervent prayer to break crippling drought

Jericho Walls Prayer Network and the South African agricultural industry association, Afri SA, have called on South Africans to come together to pray for an end to the crippling drought that is affecting large areas of the country.

Jericho Walls has asked churches to make time during services on Sundays November 15, 22 and 23 to pray into the drought situation. Other Christian groups including weekly cell groups, Bible study groups, youth groups and prayer groups are also urged to pray for an end to the drought which has held some areas in grip since last year. It has published prayer guidelines (see later on this page) to assist intercessors.

Agri SA prayer day
Agri SA’ president, Johannes Möller has called on citizens to support a day of prayer on Friday, November 27, 2015 at Nampo Park in Bothaville, Free State at 10am.

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Möller says that agriculture is experiencing climatic extremes of an unprecedented nature which can seriously undermine farmers’ ability to produce normally and ensure food security in the country.

“The wave of dissatisfaction and concern among people around working conditions, service delivery, corruption etc. detracts from a peaceful society and contributes to the polarisation of communities,” he says. He urges people to respect one another’s rights, promote good values and, in the spirit of nation-building, support one another.

He says Agri SA has “learned with appreciation” of various public events to pray for rain and urges churches and church members to use Sundays to “reach out to their fellow citizens and pray for rain”

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In a letter calling for churches and Christian groups to pray about the drought crisis, JWPN says:  “It is our duty and responsibility as Christians to come to God our Father, to humble ourselves before Him, to pray for mercy, and to call people to return to God,” says JWPN.

The letter includes the following guidelines to assist people in praying into the drought:
 
It is important to do at least these things:

• Humble ourselves before God and rend our hearts. (Joel 2:13; 1 Timothy 1:17).
• Return to God. Hosea 6:1 – Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
• Come with godly sorrow that produces repentance and lead to salvation. (2 Corinthians 7:9-10).
• Plead for mercy. Daniel 9:9 – To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.
• Seek His face. Psalm 27:8 – When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, LORD, I will seek.”
• Devote ourselves to honour and obey God.

Our repentance must include the following: 

1. Personal

• For not loving God heart, mind, soul and strength. (Matthew 22:37).
• For not loving my neighbours. (Matthew 22:38).
• For the lack of respect for government; negligence to pray for government. (1 Timothy 2:1).
• For not fulfilling the great commission given by Jesus. (Matthew 28:19-20).
• For not taking care of the poor and needy. Galatians 2:10 – They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.
• Bloodshed, immorality, idolatry, unethical life styles and love for the world. 

2. The church

As a church we need to repent before God:

• For not living holy lives as we ought to and neglecting our God given commands: a) taking care of the poor and needy, b) boldly evangelising all people in our nation, c) preaching repentance and forgiveness of sin, d) and taking the gospel to the nations through missions.
• That we are lukewarm. (Rev.3:15-17). For all kinds of sin in the church that quench and resist the work of the Holy Spirit. For living lives contrary to the clear commands and guidelines of God in Scripture. As Christians, to repent for openly living immoral lives, for rampant divorce numbers among Christians, for accepting bribery as normal, for being unmoved by the fact that many are dying without knowing Jesus and for many so guilty of the sin of prayerlessness.
• For the love of money, the love for the things of this world and our carnal lifestyles. (1Timothy 6:10).
• For the lack of compassion towards people in need. (James 1:27).
• For so easily compromising the truth of the Bible as the only truth, as well as the Bible being the highest and final authority. (Isaiah 29:13). Also for many who perish for a lack of knowledge of God and the Scripture. (Hosea 4:6).
• For syncretism in the church (the mixing of the worship of idols, other spirits/gods and the Living God). (Jeremiah 3:13).

3. Government 

As believers we need to repent before God for what is wrong in our government:

• Repent on behalf of our current government which is given over to corruption, fraud and bribery.
• Repent before God that our current constitution and government do not acknowledge the supremacy of God and of the Bible.
• Repent that currently our government, as well as other institutions are tampering with the judicial system.
• Repent before God that especially people in influential positions in our nation do not submit themselves to the laws of the country. 

4. The nation

As believers we also need to repent before God for what is wrong in our nation:

• Repent for the increase of crime, violent crime and murders, more than ever before in history.
• Repent for approving and the legalizing of abortion.
• Repent for deliberate actions of removing God and the Bible (Christianity), out of all schools, tertiary institutions, the workplace, as well as the restraining of Christian practices like prayer.
• Repent for all substance abuse, human-trafficking, rape and prostitution that are on the increase.
• Repent for all forms of racism which is on the increase in all spheres of society.
• Repent for all forms of idolatry, witchcraft and involvement in the occult.
• Repent for all covenants that were and are being made with godless people controlled by godless ideologies and false religions opposed to the Living God.

After confessing these sins and humbling ourselves before God with godly sorrow, let us join in pleading with Him to send us rain.  He explicitly says in Scripture, that when we humble ourselves in His presence that He will send us rain.

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place (2 Chronicles 7:13-15).
 
Father God, we acknowledge our dependence upon You as the only God who can send rain. Please let it rain again in our land. Restore to us all crops, and livestock, in Jesus Name. Amen.