God loves politicians too

THE ANC’s 54^th National Conference arguably hasn’t started off very smoothly.

For one, there were the court rulings which could have threatened the success of the conference, and the Treasurer-General Zweli Mkhize had to assure business leaders the conference would happen in an “orderly” manner.

• READ: Top 10 quotes from business on Day 1 of #ANC54

There was also President Jacob Zuma’s Christmas present, or what others may call a bombshell, in the form of fee free higher education for students coming from households with an annual income of less than R350 000.

Also given the cartoons about bribery happening on the sidelines of the conference, and analysts weighting up the worst possible scenarios if the wrong candidate wins, it appears the SA public is running a secret pool on how long it will take for things to completely burn to the ground.

So I found it completely plausible that the conference was opened with a session of interfaith prayers. With the way things were going, God had to intervene to save the ANC from some tremendous happening we were yet to witness.

But judging by the comments of viewers watching the footage of the prayers in the same room as me, the agenda behind this activity was being questioned too.

While one viewer asked why it was necessary to involve religion in politics, my thoughts on the matter were far more elementary. I was considering how awkward it must be for the religious representatives who weren’t invited to say prayers at the conference.

But then I seriously considered this question: Is there a place for God in politics?

I was raised in a Christian home and in our youth group we were taught to be patriotic and pray for our government and our country. I just accepted it as something everyone does. As a 14-year-old it wasn’t a choice, it was just the way things were.

But then 2009 happened and Zuma became president and I wondered if God was mad, or if people were mad and God was leaving us to destroy ourselves as a form of punishment. But I kept praying for the country and the government, not as passionately as when I was a teenager, but still mumbling those prayers before falling asleep.

And then one day, the president did something horrible, not much different to the other horrible things he’s (allegedly) done and I said something disrespectful about Zuma. I know it was disrespectful because my dad rebuked me right then and there and reminded me of Romans 13 verse 1: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (NIV)

Well, obviously I was guilt-tripped into continue praying for Zuma. I won’t lie and tell you that I wasn’t disappointed when God’s mighty hand didn’t come down to smite him after the revelations of State Capture. I was burdened with hopelessness for the future, so I stopped praying for South Africa.

Surrender 

I don’t know why the ANC decided to start off its proceedings with prayers, but I do know that prayer is an act of surrender.

When an individual prays they’re surrendering to something bigger than themselves. They’re admitting that in their humanness, they can’t carry life’s burdens alone. You’re literally declaring that you’re helpless.

Maybe the ANC doesn’t feel helpless, but there was an acknowledgement that this conference cannot go forward without something greater holding things together. Heck, I’m sure after a while even politicians realise that all the conniving can’t help them, and so they pray too. 

When one woman got down on her knees, before delegates, and possibly millions of viewers across the world (wonders of livestreaming), she made herself vulnerable. She reminded me of Psalm 34 verse 17: “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.” (NIV)

So with great difficulty but with hope this time, I chose to pray and ask God to save South Africa, again.

* Lameez Omarjee is a journalist at Fin24 and covering the ANC National Conference. Views expressed are her own.