I cried for South Africa today ...

I cried for South Africa today.

I haven’t done that before … not even for the orphans of South America.

I was sitting in church, listening to one of the pastors recap his time in France with the National Rugby team that won the Rugby World Cup last night. He serves as the unofficial chaplain of the team, and was telling of the great things God has done in the lives of these men, drawing them closer to Him and transforming their personal lives.

The win has great meaning for this country, as the team will undergo a lot of changes in the coming years in response to demands by political leaders to make the team more of a representation of the nation, which is over 85% black African. As the managers and coaches fall under the pressure of affirmative action, there is little hope that in the short-run, South Africa will make it to the finals again in the next World Cup.

But, that’s not what he talked about that brought me to tears. He talked about the fact that this win had greater meaning in the kingdom, and that we as believers should be praying hard for this nation. To the women, he said, “The men of this nation need God. They also need your prayers. The most unsafe place for a woman in this nation is in her own home. Women suffer violence and abuse against them in the place that should the safest place, most often at the hands of men that they know and trust. Men are much more likely to start wars, commit crimes, abuse, and kill than women. God has a plan for the men in this nation, and we need to pray that they would rise up and plunge themselves beneath the Lordship of Jesus Christ.” He went on to talk about the Springboks as national icons, and that God had moved among them for this moment in time, that they might give glory to Him and issue the challenge to the men of this nation to rise up and follow.

For months, I’ve been struggling with the idea that the men in this nation will be the ones to destroy it, but for God. Many of the women I’ve met and talked with feel they have no right to challenge the men in their lives, and live under the dominion of men who do not have their best interest at heart. I think in that instance, I felt the heart of God, aching for His sons who would not turn to Him, but instead seek their own will and desires.

So, I cried. I prayed that God would continue to call His sons back to Him, and that they would hear and lay down their pride, culture, sin, hatred, and own agendas in order to fall under His Lordship. I prayed that they would love their wives and children, rather than their own flesh. I prayed that I would have compassion when one of these men did something to irritate me, and instead would turn the situation around to encourage them in their need to seek Him.

It’s cool to know that God is still in the business of everyday miracles.