Can prayer really solve Nigeria’s problems?

Posted by: Anthony-Claret Onwutalobi - Posted on:

An African praying

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Please don’t kill me. I come clothed in peace and love.

But I’ve been wondering, a lot, about all that’s going on in Nigeria. You read the news, you hear from friends and relatives, and you get the picture. And, naturally, you start imagining the kinds of solutions that could end the cyclical pain and suffering of our country…

Prayer, prayer, prayer

Then you come to Facebook, or even in talking to other Nigerians, and everyone is saying, “let’s pray for our country. Oh, we need prayers. Haa, this time we must really pray.”

 

Everyone sharing Bible verses, reciting God’s promises to one another. Prayer things.

And we go on and on about “praying” and how God shall rescue us. Now, let me ask you a question.

The big question

Why does God put Nigeria through all kinds of sh*t time and time again? Are Nigerian prayers not powerful enough? Does He love Nigeria less than the countries He feeds sufficiently?

I honestly do not know of a more prayerful continent than Africa. And yet in many people’s minds, the word “Africa” is now almost synonymous with the phrase “poverty, pain, and suffering”. Wars, mudslides, disease and famine.

Where do Nigerian prayers go?

I could go on and on trying to paint a clearer picture of what I need to show here, but we all know what I’m talking about. Nigeria has prayed and prayed and prayed to God since prayer was kindly brought to us.

Do Nigerian prayers not find their way to God? Or, do prayers not work? No, let me rephrase that. Does prayer work?

What prayer can do to us

Let’s think about it a bit, without getting emotional or attacking each other here. But is all the talk about prayer, not just some pacifist stuff that gets us blinded and contented with mediocrity, in our lifestyles, government, and just about everything? Sitting back and always waiting for the magic of prayer.

Interrogate yourself

Imagine this. If there weren’t an option to pray; if you did not know that you could pray about the situation in your country, ask yourself, what would I really do? Because the instinct to try and survive is natural, do ask yourself, what would I really do if God was not in the equation?

I am very sympathetic to our plight. And with our history, it is understood by everyone that we lost a lot, and it takes a lot to recover. But I hope prayer is not the thing that has rendered us helpless.

Do feel free to curse me in your mind, to pray for me if you wish to, but when you’re alone sometime, do think about these things. I’m sure it’s no sin to do so.

Does prayer work? Think hard! Would we really be worse off if we didn’t have it?

Anthony-Claret Onwutalobi

Anthony-Claret is a Software Engineer and has worked at varied roles like Business Analyst, Software Web Developer, Digital Marketing consultant, Graphic Design/ Web Designer, Education Counsellor/ Recruitment officer and a software tester. Mr Claret publishes and manages the content on this website. He's also a writer, Activist, Humanitarian, Pan Africanist, a proponent of Social Justice, Equality & Human Rights, a great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and an all-around digital guy.

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