God Can Be Trusted

        I had my devotional reading from Selwyn Hughes Everyday Light based on Psalms 20 with emphasis on verse 7 "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." After pondering on this Psalm as whole, I started wondering how many of us really trust in God for protection and everything? Even Nations that claim to be Christian, are designing the most sophisticated weaponry to destroy their perceived enemies. In Kenya for example pastors asked the government to allow them own guns to protect themselves against terrorists( http://www.charismanews.com/world/41603-kenyan-pastors-ask-for-ak-47s-amid-radical-muslim-persecution) . Sample the weapons below designed just to kill Gods creation- a fellow man. 

     Selwyn Hughes said that it is essential if we are to go deeper with God to have confidence in His character. Do we as Christian leaders( including Catholics) have confidence in God's character? How much time have we spent with God to seek His guidance in matters like the P.E.V? Hughes posed these question; Is God good and can He be trusted? He correctly observed that the manner in which we answer this question is crucial to our ongoing relationship with Him. If we have doubts about His character -- His justice for example -- it will most certainly affect the way we view Him and approach Him.

        In Kenya at the moment the Christian church is more of a monument than a growing organism ready to demonstrate God's presence in its midst.There is no power of the Holy Spirit in us because we have allowed politics and tribalism to take control of our hearts and we have become defenders of those political leaders who belong to our ethnic community. The only power visible in our churches is the soaring numbers of followers who attend services, the big buildings, the magnificent public address systems, and the ability to pay for live television broadcasts on National TV stations. The power to really evangelize is not there at all. Young people are opting for Islam and the educated people are becoming atheists. Others who are tired of messages that emphasize on tithes and miracles decided to stay at home on Sundays morning to provide audience to the Jehovah Witnesses evangelists who tirelessly visit such members. The Church is powerless because they no longer trust in God but in horses and chariots.

       The ICC cases are another example of how the Church closed its eyes to truth and decided to be advocates of the leaders without seeking God's guidance in this matter. I am not suggesting in any way that the ICC court could have or can solve our problems because the court is a human institution and therefore fallible. But how many pastors approached the the two leaders and told them that indeed there are some issues that paint a bad picture of their leadership? In some of the incidents reported by some witnesses in the cases, the two leaders are mentioned adversely, there is no single leader who asked the two to come clear on these allegations and as leaders, they have a moral authority to stand in public and come clear because the Bible says: 

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. . James 5: 16.

          It is true that some communities are now reconciled and working together since the two leaders come from these two communities and therefore everyone is saying let's move on. But what is God saying? Have we really consulted God on moving on? Have those communities that attacked others come out to confess and ask for forgiveness? Balkanising of the Kenyan people by some intellectuals ( tyranny of numbers) was followed to the letter and many Christian leaders are still supporting it even now. Is tyranny of numbers unifying the Kenyans or balkanizing us?  I heard the Deputy President say that he wanted the people of Gatundu to elect a particular politician because of abrasive and combative character https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH8obVeXpQs.

My question here is, does the Kenyan Leadership trust in people like this politician here or in God? Does the exchange of words with the opposition ensure the presidency works? Please just watch the video and you will see what I am talking about. The job description given to the politician in question and others of the same character form both the opposition and the government has started bearing "fruit"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzdNA7n40ho.

So should Kenyans move on? I strongly recommend that religious leaders have to take up their responsibility and the Spirit that worked in Prophet Nathan when he confronted King David should work them. Pastors should tell the two leaders to lead the Nation in facing our sin as a nation, confess and repent. Repentance brings healing. 

        The reason our religious leaders are waking up every morning oblivious of the decaying of the body of the so called Christian Church is because they do not want to be blacklisted by the government, their fear may be that they will be seen as traitors of their ethnic community and may be they would be defrocked. The more we stay in bed the more evil takes control of our leadership and it will be too let for us to bring back our nation to where our children will live in peace as a nation. Selwyn Hughes said, many do not realize how profoundly the way we think about God and His character influences the way we worship Him, the way we work for Him, and the way we witness to Him. Any doubts about the goodness of God will result in our souls keeping their distance from Him. If we do not have complete confidence in Him, we will not desire a close relationship with Him.

         Many of my friends with whom we prayed together after the PEV of 2007 and were badly affected by this unfortunate dark spot in our history, turned back into their ethnic groupings immediately the current government came into place.Their hatred now was diverted and now directed towards other leaders from other communities who stood in opposition to their favourite leaders. Kenyan communities are now divided into two major groupings and this division is not good because the basis is not on political views but ethnic. No Christian leader is speaking about this. Why? The answer to this question is;  most pastors and all our political leadership no longer trust in God but in their ethnic communities, weapons, tanks, jet fighters, money, and etc. Psalm 20 sums it up this way:

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
8 They have bowed down and fallen;
But we have risen and stand upright.

9 Save, Lord!
May the King answer us when we call.

As for me and my house, I want to pray today that I will do what this song says: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0S8Z-dMM40

May God bless each of you in the coming year to live for Him and seek to go deeper with God. To understand Him and to love Him truly. In Jesus Name Amen.