5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Isaiah 58 : 5-7 

The Bible was written, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, by people often familiar with oppression. God is by no means indifferent to injustice and the plight of the oppressed.

He is angry about injustice and oppression and so should we be.

The current joke of an election in Zimbabwe should make your blood boil!!

I am privileged to count a number of Zimbabweans among my friends and knowing them to be such wonderful, generous people makes the crimes of the current Zimbabwean government all the more infuriating.

I guess the question for Christians is how to respond to this kind of obvious oppression?

1) We need to pray, with psalmist  -

Arise, O LORD!
Deliver me, O my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked. 

Psalm 3 : 7 

Break the teeth in the mouths of the wicked – remove their power. We know a day is coming when, justice will flow like a river. Until that day we wait.

2) As well as praying and to inform our prayers and action we must take the lead form those living under the oppressive regime. We have an unfortunate tendency to become very cerebral in our response people actually experiencing these things are often far more pragmatic. What are the Christians in Zimbabwe saying and more importantly what is God saying to them?

The answer is both surprising and humbling – their reaction over the past few years has been that God has allowed all this that we see now and have seen for years now for his glory. The church has grown in faith and swelled numerically, lives are being changed, transformed in the midst of this serious oppression.

So we pray, believe and stand with all Zimbabweans asking that God will bring a peaceful resolution to this farce – and yes we get angry!! which should fuel our prayers.

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