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Acts
17:24-31
God that made the world and
all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in
temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any
thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all
the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the
bounds of their habitation; That
they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him,
though he be not far from every one of us: For in
him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets
have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to
think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art
and man's device. And the times of this
ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which
he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained;
whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from
the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked:
and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.
A Cry for the Nsanje People of Malawi
Malawi is a small nation located in the south-eastern area
of Africa with a large number of rural people. It is bordered by Zambia to the
northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and
west. It is the least developed countries in the world and economically
dependent on agriculture.
The country is divided into 3 regions namely: Central,
Northern and Southern region.
The Southern part of Malawi is
made up of 13 districts and Nsanje is one of them. Nsanje is the poorest
district in the Southern area and very dependent on NGO and foreign aids.
Deeply cultural people who worship a deity called “Mbona” who was believed to
have been beheaded 100 of years ago and out flowed a river of blood called
Ndione.
One of their cultural
practices is sexual cleansing ritual which is performed by some selected men
called “hyenas”
The
“hyenas” of Malawi
A hyena is a traditional
position in some parts of southern Malawi held by a man who
initiates young women into adulthood through sex. A hyena is a man paid to have
sex with young women between the ages of 12–17, as a part of a rite of passage
called "kusasa fumbi" (‘shaking the dust’) or (sexual cleansing).
Hyenas are paid from $4 to $7 each time. They are chosen for their moral
character and are believed to be incapable of contracting diseases such as
HIV/AIDS.
Sexual cleansing is a practice viewed as a way to ritually
cleanse girls after their first period, usually within a three-day window. Some families tell girls
they will get infections if they don't have sex with a "hyena”. (2 Kings 16:3; 2 Kings
17:17; Jeremiah 32:35; Ezekiel 16:21).
According to a study on
sexual cleansing rituals in Western Kenya from 2007, sexual intercourse is seen
as a sacred rite when performed as a ritual — and has the power to cleanse evil
spirits and sanctify.
Eric
Aniva told the BBC that he was hired by families to have sex with more than 100
young women, including children.
Eldson Chagara/AP
Prayer Focus:
- Father, we ask for mercy concerning this community of people who engage in this practice. We ask for mercy because they have relied on broken cisterns that cannot hold water, that cannot sustain, save, deliver and genuinely cleanse them. Jer 2:13.
- Father, we ask for mercy concerning families that have given their children to this evil practice. Just like King Ahaz who caused his children to walk on fire in service to heathen gods. 2 kings 16:3.
- Father, we ask that by the power of the cross the deceitfulness of this practice and lies that have thrived for long be revealed and completely exposed.
- Father, there is no other name under heaven by which men (boys, girls, children, hyenas etc.) can be saved only by the name of Jesus. Acts 4:12.
- Father, let it be known that it is the LAMB OF GOD that takes away the sins of people, He alone breaks the power of evil not any “hyenas”. John 1:29.
- Father, raise a voice that would cry out in the district of Nsanje against this practice and would proclaim the gospel of Christ, the Lamb that was slain for their redemption. John 1:23,29.
THIS IS MY FATHER’S WORLD
This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father's world,
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world,
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world,
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.
This
is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world
The battle is not done Jesus who died shall be satisfied
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world
The battle is not done Jesus who died shall be satisfied
and
earth and heav’n be one
Maltbie Davenport Babcock
