Groaning For God

During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.
— Exodus 2:23-25

The video Transformations II by the Sentinel Group documents the nationwide Christian revival and awakening that swept the nation of Uganda. That country was saved from the HIV/AIDS epidemic and militant Christian persecution. Their turnaround was so astounding that churches grew by thousands in a matter of weeks. The nation’s president even held a ceremony at 12:01 am, January 1, 2000, to dedicate Uganda “to the purposes of God and the lordship of Jesus Christ.”

But the Ugandan Christians will tell you that God did not answer their prayers until they started really crying out to God. Like the Hebrews in Egypt, times got so difficult for the believers that the prayers of the people shifted from mere requests to deep, guttural groans. The faithful were unspeakably desperate for God. No one had to tell the church members to pray; they could do nothing other than pray.

Ask God to give American Christians a visceral sense of our need for Him. Instead of tragedy leading us to groan for God, let’s ask God to have mercy and pour out a spirit of repentance and supplication on us now!

Yours in Christ,

Chuck Hetzler, Ph.D.
Senior Associate, Christian Union Day and Night

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