This meditation
was written by mission co-worker Cindy Easterday.
Free and fair,” the Independent Electoral Commission
declared at the end of national elections in February 2007—a
major accomplishment in a country where violence and unrest
have seemed integrated into the election process since Lesotho’s
independence in the mid-1960s. And though not everyone agrees
with the results and opposition parties continue to seek ways
to be heard, peace has reigned this time.
Some may say that the fear of reliving the bloody aftermath
of the 1998 elections is the reason peace prevails. Others,
that it is important to preserve the development that has taken
place since that time when the capital city of Maseru was nearly
razed.
These explanations certainly have some truth to them. But
some of us also know that for some time before the elections,
groups of intercessors from various churches met regularly to
pray for the country. One group of women still meets every morning
at a centrally located church, fasting at certain times. Once
a month they gather for an all-night prayer meeting, interceding
for Lesotho and its people.
It was not only prayers that led to peaceful elections, but
the active participation by church leaders, Christian-based
NGO members, and lay people who took an active part in ensuring
the integrity, honesty, and openness of the electoral process,
as much as was within their power. What an encouragement—
to see the church of Christ active and involved, contributing
effectively in practical and committed ways, reflecting the
church as salt in the community.
Our God is a living God who knows our needs and is with us
in the midst of our trials, difficulties, and uncertainties,
and hears our prayers. Our faith is strengthened and our hope
renewed when we see peace prevailing in such a situation as
this. God is with us. Of that we are certain. |
