Persevere in Spiritual Warfare

With just over a week to go until the elections that would decide the fate of South Africa, I was weary and stressed. The South Africa electoral process had become a horrible mess. The international mediation plan had failed. A tremendous oppression and sense of darkness washed over my spirit like a thousand black blankets of heaviness. I sat in my study and stared at the floor, I pleaded with God to forgive me for letting him down.

But as I prayed an astonishing thing happened which I recorded in my journal. “About 9 p.m. I suddenly had a sense of a tremendous cloud, burden, and oppression lifting. And as it did so, I seemed to hear the Spirit of the Lord within my soul saying: ‘The stronghold has broken and has been pulled down.’” I do not understand the full significance of that except that I believe something in the heavenlies has taken place and we can rejoice and be glad. I feel absolutely smashed and wiped out as I turn in, but I know the Lord is in charge and everything can be left in his hands. We have done our part, and he will do his."

I prayed with no awareness of how God was working behind the scenes. Then with six days to go a special announcement was made that after many difficulties the election was back on track. In his comments during the announcement, Buthelezi ascribed the breakthrough to God. The general reaction to this sensational news was euphoric. And the word “miracle” emerged again and again in the secular press. The Boston Sunday Globe’s declaration is representative of the general attitude: “Faith had a role in Apartheid’s end.” The stronghold was broken and pulled down!

Reflect

What are the strongholds that need to be pulled down in your political landscape – racism, materialism, abuse of power, etc.? Pray specifically today that God will tear them down. Praise God that he is all-powerful and able to work in ways we can’t even imagine for his own glory.

This content was adapted from A Witness Forever by Michael Cassidy. To discover more about God’s faithfulness during political upheavals read the whole book.