Only spiritual warfare and voices of true prophets will end this Babylonian suffering
Think about that dark Wednesday 18th November 2020. The world was inundated with the most horrific pictures from Uganda. I have witnessed a lot of brutality in Uganda over the years but what I saw on 18th November is extreme and unprecedented. The thoughts in this piece are based on my beliefs and conviction as a mature Born Again Christian who believes in the sovereignty and power of our God to help and intervene in the affairs of any nation, including Uganda.
The Holy Bible gives accounts of God’s dealings with Israel. God blessed the Israelites as long as they adhered to His ways and instructions. They were left in the hands of their enemies whenever they disobeyed God, according to the Book of Judges. Later, God allowed Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the kings of Assyria to invade and take many Israelites into exile. The gruesome account of this transition, The fall of Jerusalem, is recorded in Second Kings Chapter 25. This, what happened in Israel is no different from what happens in present day nations where militarism is the mode of change or sustenance of government.
God chose Museveni but…
Uganda has been under the rule of one man, Yoweri Museveni, for 35 years. As a mature Christian, I believe God had a divine purpose to allow him to become our leader in 1986. People always struggle to accept new ‘political brooms’. Many people had their reservations about Museveni. Note that God instructed Prophet Jeremiah to advise his people to willingly go into exile to Babylon for their own good. That did not necessarily imply that Nebuchadnezzar was a good leader to those in exile. He was not. But he was the right leader to help fulfil the purposes of God at the time.
God loved and still loves Israel jealously. I truly believe Uganda has a special place in God’s heart and he loves us jealously too. A good Father has the wisdom and authority to chastise His children so they can become better. God even refers to King Nebuchadnezzar, locusts and pestilences as his servants in trying to shape the character of His people. I do believe President Museveni and his government appeared on the scene as God’s Servants to try and get the attention of Ugandans especially those who claim to have a relationship with Him.
The Christian duty to pray for healing
The solution for Uganda is spelt out in the Book of Second Chronicles – chapter 7. God, in response to King Solomon’s speech and prayer of dedication of the Temple, outlines calamities that would befall Israel if they forsook his ways. He prescribes the way out of such calamities, stating in verse 14:
“If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land.”
The bible challenges people who have a close relationship with God to participate in bringing change and healing to the land. Every Ugandan Christian therefore has a duty to bring change. This includes millions of Nominal and lukewarm Christians who have abandoned their faith and resorted to idolatry and witchcraft. It also includes thousands of fake born-again Christians – Balokole – who have disgraced our Lord and tarnished the image of God’s Church through immorality and love of money. Indeed all other people including our Moslem brothers and sisters should come on board and cry to the God of Abraham to help our country.
We all must humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, turn from our wicked ways, cry to God in humility and true repentance and brokenness of heart. When that happens God promises to heal our Land.
The Old Testament tells stories of wicked rulers who God sovereignly used to fulfil His purposes. These included Pharaoh in Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, Cyrus, Ahasuerus, and Artaxerxes. With the exception of King Belshazzar, the other kings sometimes acknowledged the existence of the Almighty God who was stronger than their idols. They mostly did this out of fear of the wrath that God would release upon them. They decided to show kindness towards God’s servants- a kind of truce to avert God’s wrath.
There are also exemplary people of God who lived during the reign of those heathen Kings. Joseph in Egypt, Moses, Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther and Mordecai. These God fearing people respected authority but never gave up their faith. They got favor from those kings who flooded them with gifts and offered them high positions of authority. Despite these favors, they spoke God’s truth. Daniel, for instance, told king Belshazzar the real meaning of the writing on the wall vision and the truth that he would die that night.
Ugandan Christians failing to speak God’s truth
In Uganda, God has positioned several of his children in places of authority. Like Jonathan became close to King David, some of these brethren are close friends to the president, his family, and other top government and military officials and politicians. Most of them have been ‘blessed’ financially as a result of these friendships. Unfortunately, this closeness has also refrained them from speaking God’s truth to those in power. They have become false prophets by telling the President and top government officials that all is well when it is not. It is the tragedy of our time. These disgraceful ‘Prophetic’ Brethren and Pastors have become what the Bible describes as ‘dogs which cannot back’.
In the Bible, prophets worked closely with rulers who consulted them on different issues. Those prophets also rebuked kings so that they would not stray from the ways of God and make wrong decisions. For example, Prophet Nathan rebuked King David for adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah. From this rebuke, David’s life totally transformed through genuine repentance. It might have been different if Prophet Nathan had failed to deliver God’s word to a powerful King.
Another example is that of King Asa. He begun well (like most popular leaders). But after sometime he stopped depending on God and asked for help from Benhadad, king of Syria. God sent Prophet Hanani to confront him. 2 Chronicles 16:10 says: “then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people because of this thing”. King Asa became ill for three years then died.
Some political leaders will reject correction and might even punish God’s people for telling them God’s message. That does not mean that they should not speak up. We must realize that because of our sinfulness and disobedience as a nation, the Lord has given Uganda over to Babylonian rule under Nebuchadnezzar. The only option out of this bondage is to follow God’s advice.
400 years of suffering can end in January 2021
God sent Prophet Jonah to Nineveh to warn the people to repent or perish. The King of Nineveh humbled himself and mobilized the whole city, human beings and even animals to fast and cry unto God in true repentance. God heard their genuine cry and forgave them, sparing the City from destruction. Ugandan spiritual leaders must continue to mobilise people to pray. They need to teach us all how to engage in effective Spiritual Warfare.
As human beings we have limited ideas on how governments can change peacefully. If we put our confidence in God, He can turn the humanly impossible into possible. God considered Nebuchadnezzar and the Assyrian kings his Servants – the same way he did President Museveni in January 1986. These leaders have instead punished God’s people. President Museveni needs to examine himself and his style of leadership, and seek God’s mercy for himself and his family. He should allow free and fair elections to take place in January. He should stop threatening, imprisoning and torturing political opponents.
Do we know who will be the Ugandan president after January 2021 elections? Only God knows. Let us trust God to help Ugandans choose his own choice for us, and accept whatever outcome.
Nebuchadnezzar and the other Babylonian and Assyrian kings, like all modern day leaders such as President Museveni, may have been God’s servants to help the people get his attention. But that does not mean God will not hear and answer us if we pray. In the Bible, prayer from fervent intercessors ended unfair reigns.
The Israelites were in slavery in Egypt for 400 years. The Holy Bible records in the Book of Exodus that God HEARD THE CRY OF THE ISRAELITES IN EGYPT AND RAISED Moses to deliver them. Later in Babylon Prophet Daniel remembered that God had promised that the exile would last no more than 70 years. He therefore prayed REMINDING God of His promise.
Nobody can persuade any sober Ugandan today that our Babylonian ‘70 or 400 years’ bondage is not yet over. Do we know exactly when God surrendered us into Babylonian rule? Some people think this was soon after or before independence in 1962. That is a very long time indeed to be engulfed under such a diabolical and evil spiritual stronghold. Let’s all enlist in spiritual warfare to rescue our motherland. Together, through prayer and proclaiming God’s truths, we can make Uganda – the Pearl of Africa – rise and shine again.
For God and my country.
