A prayer-walk for righteousness and for hope
I had to leave the comfort of home to walk on warm, dusty roads while praying for righteousness and for hope. Even though the Bo-Karoo is also a dry and arid land, I had to go walk in other drought stricken places. The theme of the prayer was not the drought, as expected, but there was something else on God’s agenda. It felt like an unreasonable task. Most of the people who I spoke to along the road complained about the drought.
The drought shoots violently with arrows of suffering and sorrow. Like a bloodthirsty warrior it breaks with breach upon breach the last of the hope still standing in the scorching wind and sun. We stare with blinded eyes at the glaring drought. And God whispers softly to keep our eyes and hearts undividedly on Him.
He laid it in my heart not to pray for rain in this land of thirst and drought, but to pray for righteousness and hope.
There is a thirst for righteousness: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. (Mat 5:6)
There is a hope for righteousness: For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. (Gal 5:5)
Since my prayer-walks are usually about plowing in the hearts of people, I read in 1 Corinthians that the plowman should plow in hope of sharing in the crop.
God laid a farmer in Schweizer-Reneke on my heart and that settled the destination of the prayer-walk for me. As I prayed and asked from where I should start the walk, I remembered a previous prayer-walk that I completed 80 km from there. The name of the place was Kameel, which translates as “Camel”. Slowly but surely it sank into my mind that the camel is the vehicle that carries you through the land of thirst and drought.
Marelise and I took the long journey to Kameel where we slept over before I started walking. She went on to visit friends in Sannieshof from where she would come to fetch me after I finished in Schweizer-Reneke. In Kameel we slept over in a place called “Rus en Vrede” (Rest and Peace). At the destination in Schweizer-Reneke my host offered me a room to have a rest in. The name written on the door was “Peace”. Every journey in our lives should start and end at a place of “Rest and Peace”.
Less than an hour into the walk, I saw a road sign that was burnt in a fire. The black cross (road sign warning of cross roads ahead) was still clearly visible on the burnt background. The marks left by a scorching fire made me think of Moses, who also reached a crossroad in his life. He met God in the burning bush. I think of Daniel’s three friends who also met God in the fire. The road sign also made me think about the crossroads where our country have come to. It shaped my prayers to pray that we may meet God, even in the fire.
This prayer-walk of righteousness in the land of thirst and drought had to start and end in a place of “Rest and Peace”; and then I read how righteousness and peace fit together.
The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. (Is 32:17)
The plains and stoney road felt like it would never come to an end. It felt as if even the road was holding me back from reaching the destination. It was late afternoon when I, with very sore feet, arrived at Broedersput (“Brother’s well”). I stumbled to the shop across the road. I had mouth watering thoughts of an ice cold beverage. This wasn’t the final destination yet, but the name spoke volumes. I saw in my mind’s eye brothers drawing water from a well. I also thought of Psalm 133:1 that states how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
The shop keeper was very excited to hear about the prayer-walk. We shared testimonies, prayed together a had a spontanious “church” meeting in the dark and dusty store. What happened there was larger than two brothers standing at a well, drawing water. We ministered to each other with rivers of living water flowing from within us. (John 7:38).
At Brother’s well something incredible happened. A fountain broke open. The well turned into Brother’s fountain.
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Two weeks later God laid a farmer 70 km from Keetmanshoop on my heart. That settled the start and the destination of my next prayer-walk. First I had to undertake a journey of a 1000 km to Namibia by car. Marelise stayed behind in a guest house and would fetch me after the walk at the farm.
I had to walk into this land of thirst and drought as a carrier of Hope. I prayed for revelation of what that Hope was. The name of the gravel road on which I walked was “C16”. It was as if there was a message of Hope written in the desert sand: "C16”
C, the third letter of the alphabet held the key. The road “C16” on which I walked was the Way prepared by God. The prepared Way is unlocked in 3.16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
May this give you Hope today. Hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain (Heb 6:19). It becomes more than just hoping that it will maybe rain today …
Someone in Namibia heard about my prayer-walk and wrote the following message: “Isn’t that wonderful! It definitely brings hope.” Not only for eternal life with Jesus, but the fact that he came so far to bring hope for Namibia! I TAKE that from the Lord of the Hosts!!!!”
This prayer-walk once again was about plowing the hearts of people so they could be ready for the seed of Father’s agenda.
Someone sent me encouragement with the following words: “Prophetically water and honey (revelation knowledge) is brought to a land of thirst and drought for the South land to once again be filled with Hope. May a flow of groundwater be plowed open.
Namibia was caught up in a horrible drought. The Guruchab river where I was walking to, hasn’t flowed for 4 years. Late in the afternoon I sought some shade under a large tree. I decided to wait for the cool of the night before continuing the walk. The harsh sun caused me to drink too much of my water, I had only one liter of water left for the whole of the next day. After walking most of the night, I met the farmer at his farm gate the next morning. I didn’t say much because while I was walking God laid it in my heart that the Hope which I was to minister to the farmer wouldn’t be in words. I simply had to look him in the eyes and the Hope would flow from there. A few minutes after I met the farmer, he said he was sorry for being so teary-eyed.
Those were not just tears; in a land of thirst and drought a fountain broke out!
The farmer asked me if I would open his farm gate. I looked at this man who loves God so much and who was going through such a dreadful time, and in my heart I heard the word “Breaker”.
The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.
The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Micah 2:13, Zech 14:9, Hab. 2:14)
It was a dear place of ministering Hope. We ministered to each other with rivers of living water flowing from within us. (John 7:38).
A flow of groundwater was plowed open and we can see clearly again.
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