Ugandan President Leads Nation in Repentance

The African nation of Uganda celebrated its jubilee in October, marking 50 years of independence from Britain. During the national “week of prayer,” its professing Christian president, Yoweri Museveni, led the nation in a prayer of repentance and dedication to God (New Vision, October 18, 2012).

He prayed, “Father God in heaven, today we stand here as Ugandans, to thank you for Uganda... We thank you for all your goodness to us. I stand here today to close the evil past and especially in the last 50 years of our national leadership history and at the threshold of a new dispensation in the life of this nation. I stand here on my own behalf and on behalf of my predecessors to repent. We ask for your forgiveness. We confess these sins, which have greatly hampered our national cohesion” (ibid.). He went on to list many sins, including drunkenness, witchcraft, idolatry, dishonesty, intrigue and betrayal. Mr. Museveni ended his prayer with: “Lord forgive us and give us a new beginning. Give us a heart to love you, to fear you and to seek you… We want to dedicate this nation to you so that you will be our God and guide. We want Uganda to be known as a nation that fears God and as a nation whose foundations are firmly rooted in righteousness and justice to fulfill what the Bible says in Psalm 33:12: Blessed is the nation, whose God is the Lord. A people you have chosen as your own” (ibid.). This is a remarkable example by a modern leader.  National leaders should lead their nations not only in governmental affairs, but also on moral issues.

When Solomon became King over Israel, he humbly asked for an understanding heart in order to lead God’s people (1 Kings 3:7-9). Solomon then asked God for forgiveness on behalf of his people (1 Kings 8:22-53) and the nation of Israel was blessed and prospered (1 Kings 10:1-9). It will be interesting to see what happens to Uganda during the remainder of Mr. Museveni’s presidency. Our world would be very different if all leaders followed his example.