IS SOUTH AFRICA CLOSE TO REVIVAL? - Andrew Strom
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
I am writing this from Limpopo in South Africa - right near the Zimbabwe
border.I have been here for about 10 days so far - ministering in
different parts. Ithas been a great visit. The situation here is quite
unusual.
Of course, South Africa has gone through massive changes in the last 15
years.It used to be the white South Africans who were in charge - ruling
the countryand keeping the black people down. But these "apartheid" laws
were done away with in 1994 - and now the rulership of the country is
basically in black hands.
There has been quite a lot of turmoil and difficulty during this
transition period - and one of the interesting things that I have noticed
is how this hasaffected the white people. A genuine spiritual hunger has
been taking hold.
People here are very aware of what has been happening to the white farmers
inZimbabwe, just to the North. They know that many were forced off their
land orkilled - and that Zimbabwe has virtually fallen apart. Even in
South Africa many white farmers have been murdered in recent years. And
the crime rate hassoared. This "threat" overhanging the country has caused
many people to begin crying out to God. There is a spreading spiritual
hunger in the land.
There is a Scottish farmer here named Angus Buchan who began holding big
Christian prayer gatherings around the country. He is a very simple man -
not theologically trained - just an ordinary farmer full of faith and of
the HolySpirit. Last year Angus held a men's gathering on his farm. They
were expectingperhaps 30,000 men. But 60,000 showed up to seek God. This
year they expect 200,000. Something is happening in South Africa. People
are repenting, recon-ciling - getting right with God. I think it is just
in the early stages.
When I was in Bloemfontein last week, I was with a man who is leading a
growing prayer network in that area. He said he has full permission to go
into theHigh Schools and present the whole school with a talk on prayer.
He then launches large prayer meetings in each school, where the students
cometogether regularly to pray. Blacks praying with whites. Whites praying
withblacks. It is awesome.
The sense of apathy and complacency that I often see in other Western
nationsis simply not present here. The "threat" overhanging the country is
too real.The potential crisis is too obvious. And so people pray. And they
also becomespiritually "hungry".
I wonder what it is going to take to wake up our other Western nations in
thisway? What level of "shaking", what level of threat or crisis will it
take tofinally cause the West to become spiritually hungry again? We
desperately need a wakeup call. And being here in South Africa has shown
me yet again how a long grinding crisis is the very thing that is often
needed to cure our apathy and lukewarmness. Lord, bring "whatever it
takes" to turn us back to you!
Thankyou so much for your prayers, my friends. It has been a wonderful
trip, with people repenting, getting baptized and also filled with the
Holy Spirit.Glory to Jesus! This week I head to Capetown and Western Cape
before headingback home. Please pray for my family as I minister here on
the other side ofthe world.
Thankyou so much and God bless you!
Andrew Strom.