Written by Dr. Pearl Kupe
Article originally featured in JOY! Magazine July 2026
When one looks around the world today, it is clear that many nations are in turmoil. Wars and rumours of wars dominate the headlines, while rising oil prices continue to fuel inflation and economic uncertainty across the globe. Crime and poverty are escalating in many countries, and immigration challenges are placing further strain on nations already under pressure. Across the world, many societies are living in crisis mode, or dangerously close to it.
A nation in crisis
In Jeremiah 9, we see a picture of a nation that had turned away from God and was in crisis mode. We also witness God’s response to the crisis. He makes a call for the wailing women to show up. He asks the prophet Jeremiah where the wailing women are (Jer 9:17). These were women being summoned to lament on behalf of the land and the coming destruction.
Who were the wailing women?
The role of a wailing woman was a specialised profession that required training. According to Hebrew practice, certain women were trained to become professional mourners and were hired to publicly express grief during funerals or national disasters. These women were highly skilled in what was meant to be a practice that provoked families to shed tears and cry when the burden of grief had become too overwhelming for them. The leaders were referred to as the “mothers”, and their responsibility was to train their “daughters” in the same line of wailing. In Jeremiah 9, God was calling for the wailing women so they could lead the land into repentance and lamentation. He makes an urgent call for women who can intercede for a community that is in crisis.
Teach your daughters how to wail
The admonition around “wailing” does not end with just calling women to wail, but also encourages the same women in Jeremiah 9:20 to teach their daughters how to wail. This means that the call to wail skilfully must be implemented generationally.
A call to intercede
In this season, God is still looking for and calling those who can wail and raise up a cry on behalf of the land. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God says: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Raising up a cry of Esthers and Mordecais
We invite you to join the A Million Women Movement South Africa – a group of Esthers and Mordecais who are ready to wail and raise up a cry on behalf of the land. We will be gathering on Saturday 19 September at Mount Zion, Beula Park, Johannesburg, to raise up a cry for the land. Come join us at this solemn assembly gathering to worship, pray, repent, and intercede for our nation and future generations. Tickets are free, but registration is required. You can also support the movement through a donation to help make this solemn gathering possible. Thank you for every donation made. It will help carry the vision and make space for this gathering to take place as South Africa comes together in prayer and consecration.
This article appears in the July 2026 issue of JOY! Magazine. Read the digital version of this magazine here: joygifts.co.za
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Date published: 23/06/2026
Feature image: Sourced from original article published in JOY! Magazine July 2026
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