Thank You For The Rain

For the past 13 years, our country has been in a dry patch, ripped and scorched. The green has, for many years, been denied the chance to show forth its beauty by the unrelenting Namibian sun; the elements have been harsh and the circumstances unforgiving. Finally receiving showers of this magnitude after many years of agonizing turmoil is a reminder that the drought that hit our land was not merely a result of climate change—or because there were just not enough clouds of rain in the skies. It was not because the Benguela current, the ocean winds that drive away the clouds of rain from our shores, became so strong that we lay hopeless at  its raging might. The truth is, the elements of nature are at God's disposal, and at His command, they do as He pleases. I am persuaded with all my being that the drought was an orchestra of heaven, a doing of the King of all. If we have any sense, we will pause and consider.

If you grew up in the 2000s, you will know one thing: there was a free flow, an outpouring of rain. There gates were open, It was as if God was pleased to replenish our land, to water our crops, and the grass of the field so that our livestock would shine with gratitude . If you grew up on the farm, you know what it means when cattle get excited and start jumping up and down like little children. It's a scene for the ages.

After the fall of 2011, everything changed. It's as if God turned His face away from us; our rivers no longer overflowed with water, and throughout that decade, we witnessed one of the most devastating droughts we've ever known. It has been an extremely hard thing to be a farmer throughout that season; it's as if God's anger was stirred up against the land.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 says that when God closes up the heavens and withholds the rain, it is because the stench of sin, the horrible smell of rebellion against Him, has reached His nose, and in great displeasure, the God of heaven has hidden His face from us. The truth is that during the last 13 years we have put God to the test. Though we profess with our mouths our allegiance to God, in all honesty, our hearts have shoved fingers at Him. The sexual immorality in the land has plummeted to the sky, and because of this, the demonic have infiltrated our hearts, so much so that we have become killers, and we dare call it "passion killing," attesting and conferring that we are indeed reaping the fruits of our own vile passions. Illegitimate children will grow up without a father because the devil has every right against us, and as guilty as we are, we can't even really put up a fight against him. During that time, we have probably drunk more beers than we have drunk water, blindly staggering on our way to the slaughter while Satan and his demons silently laugh as they pull off the soul heist of the century. We have opened more churches, but our iniquities have only multiplied simply because most of those churches turn out to be very ungodly places—devils with Bibles and suits, deceiving the foolish masses who refuse to seek God for themselves, and in their ignorance, they have been captivated by strange and seducing spirits. We have abruptly turned from the way, corrupted in our hearts, and God, in His anger, handed us over to corrupt leaders—greedy dogs who have become stray while they have nursing puppies at home. We have taken God's symbol of mercy, His rainbow colors, and dragged them in the mud, in the sty, and dared to associate it with the gross wickedness of homosexuality without shame and any ounce of the fear of Almighty God.

Perhaps we have come to think that God is just an old man somewhere up there, sleeping on the job and not really minding what goes on down here. And even if He does, we beat our chests with arrogance, thinking that He can't do much about it. We have mistaken His patience for passivity and His kindness for weakness.

We are so foolish and mindless of the fact that He holds the thunderbolt in His hand like a warrior holds a bow and arrow, and in an instant, He strikes with judgment. We have forgotten that The LORD is a warrior; a mighty Man of war, The Lord is His name. He will avenge the wicked; yes, God will avenge the blood of the babies we have aborted.

We have become extremely disrespectful; we treat each other with scorn and contempt. We have forgotten to deal kindly with our neighbors. We trade our virtue and innocence for the vileness we pick up in nightclubs. Vaping our lungs away, we have no regard for the One who formed us. It would be something to die with your lungs coughing blood in the cold somewhere, giving your life for a worthy cause, but to mess up your lungs with a hubbly pipe is just unacceptable; it's weak, not the stuff you were born for. If Sodom and Gomorrah were modern, Namibia would be the reincarnation and I can dare say this; it’s in His anger that God has kept it from raining for this long.

But why the rain suddenly if God is so angry and displeased at our moral condition? Why hasn't He blown us up already? No doubt there have been people who are aware of our grievous state, people who have been building a hedge and standing in the gap, weeping in the late hours of the night, pleading for God to have mercy on the land. People in deep agony over our moral condition pleading so that God doesn't destroy us. And if that's not enough, God is not up there itching to unleash His fury on us. No, He is long-suffering and merciful, willing that no one should perish but that we repent so that we may live. His heart yearns for us and with great compassion he relents from his intended judgement.

I believe this season of abundant rain is a sign and testament of His love for us—a call for us, as a nation, to turn to our God and Creator. A time for us to forsake our pride and humble ourselves before the King of Heaven, to turn from our sins, and believe in Jesus Christ so that our sins can be forgiven and so that we may receive the Spirit of God, that we too may also become children of God. It is a time to repent from witchcraft, divination, and manipulative behavior. Now is the time to get our act together, to bring back the Bible into our schools and universities. A time to turn from false religion, from forms of godliness that deny the power of God. It is a time to stand up and preach the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the only hope for this wretched country. We must do it now while it is day because the night is fast approaching when we will not be able to work.

Namibia, wake up and repent, for there are wars coming, raging storms that will tear apart everything in their path, except that which is entrusted into the hands of Jesus. The bloodshed you see on television will soon be on your doorstep—that's a given—and woe unto you if that day finds you stuck in your wicked ways. Behold, God does not rejoice in the death of the wicked, but He desires that the wicked turn from their wicked way so that they may live.

God, thank you for the rain, for your mercy and enduring kindness. May your love undo us and cause us to turn to you, you are our Creator, the on that truly loves us.