Twenty-six years ago, in 1994, South Africa became a true democracy and a new era of political freedom began. Today’s youth belong to the ‘born free’, post-Apartheid generation.
Many of them also belong to the generation of orphans that have resulted from the Aids pandemic. There are an estimated 2.7 million orphans currently in South Africa. Today, almost 20 years later, these orphans are teenagers and young adults who are finishing school and heading out into the world. They face a unique combination of opportunities and challenges.
God has a special place in His heart for orphans. Twenty-seven times in the Bible He is referred to as a Father to the fatherless. As the King of all kings this makes them royalty! Many, however, do not know Him, and have a distorted view of themselves, not knowing their true value.
What I find interesting, is that throughout Scripture, on several occasions when God needed someone for a special role, He chose an orphan as with Esther, Joseph, and Daniel. All of these influenced the kings of dominant empires of their day.
Daniel was the advisor to four kings in his lifetime: Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his son Belshazzar, Darius king of the Medes, and Cyrus king of Persia. While serving under king Darius, a decree was passed prohibiting anyone from petitioning any god or man for 30 days, with the punishment of being cast into a den of lions.
When Daniel heard it was written into law, he went home and knelt down with his windows open, prayed and gave thanks to God. It was his usual habit to pray this way three times a day. He chose to face death rather than not worship and commune with his Heavenly Father. He was not just religious but passionately devoted to Him. As a result, he was thrown into a den of lions, but was miraculously untouched by them. The king then decreed that all people in his kingdom must fear the God of Daniel.
I believe that this generation of youth are also called to have a special assignment from God. He wants to reveal His Father’s heart to them, restore them and raise them up to be missionaries to the rest of Africa and around the world. I have carried this vision for the past 17 years and eagerly anticipate that it will soon come to pass.
Please pray with us for the youth of South Africa to fulfil their God-given destinies, and that He would give them the nations as their inheritance.
Photo credit Celia Mendes, Kutsemba Ka, Mozambique, facebook
