On New Year’s Day, I read again in 2 Kings 2 the passage where Elijah is taken up into heaven. One of the verses that stands out is verse 21: “Then He went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’”
It appears from remarks made by people on social media that many of them consider the Year 2021 to be almost a fruitless year due to all the disruptions and challenges that the pandemic has brought our way. Many became ill, and some even died from COVID-19 or its complications. Thousands also lost their jobs, and it is clear that people were eagerly looking forward to the new year. Now we are in the new year and my question is: “What now? What proverbial salt can we add to 2022 and what can we ask of the Lord to make us useful and fruitful again for His kingdom? ”
There is a certain message from the Lord that has returned to me time and time again since my conversion. It has also come to the fore strongly in my mind when reading Kings 2 – this is the need for revival. The critical necessity that God, as it were, sprinkles salt on our country (and hopefully also in the rest of the world) that will bring about a powerful renewal of faith and community transformation. Many will agree with me that the South Africa of today is not exactly an example of hope, and the reasons for this cannot be laid at the door of the pandemic and the government of the day. We all play a major role in the situation when we spread negativity and hopelessness through our words and attitudes. This negativity about everything makes many of us sick, “barren” and useless for His service.
Against this background, I would like to bring a message of hope: I believe that the Lord will intervene, sprinkle his salt, and transform our future; but I also believe that He will do it in His time. It is your and my job to keep praying that the Lord will begin His work of revival in this new year! I have already decided that from now on it will be part of my prayers. It is my wish that we will start living in hope again for the sake of our country, all its people and our descendants.
But you and I must be ready for the transformation so that we can participate and be fruitful for the Kingdom. What can we do to make things more livable while we wait on the Lord to intervene as only He can? For me, the answer lies in being sensitive, obedient, and serve others. This is not optional – it is a given. Jesus says in Matthew 25:40, “If you did any of these things for one of my brothers or sisters, even if it was for the simplest of them, you did it for Me.”
In the next few Blogs I will expand more on various ways Christians can prepare for the future. For now, I want to conclude with Ephesians 2:10, which reminds us, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared, and to live according to them.”
Until next time.
Dr Jurie Vermeulen
National Director: FEBA SA
