‘Only a fool
fools with sin’ (Proverbs 20:3).
‘If my people,
will humble themselves and pray, and search for me, and turn from their wicked
ways, I will hear them from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land’
(2 Chronicles 7:14).
Introduction
Men and women, including our
young people and children are deeply longing for Nigeria to be a God fearing
godly nation, from households , educational institutions, religious
institutions, to halls of government. Our liberty as a people matters very
little if our hearts remain enslaved to sin. Though we may feel tired, hurt and
disappointed in ourselves, we must allow God to take over and send His
helping hand. True freedom is possible only through an intimate relationship
with Christ Jesus. Every day we face condemnation from the devil, an enemy, or
our own guilty conscience. Jesus never condemns us (John 8:11). We might not
know what to do or where to go in our confusion, but Sacred Scriptures offers
us message of hope - ‘Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-2). This reflection is meant to make us get to think,
pray and reflect on the state of our nation and the need to be actively
involved in overcoming the issues that confront us as a people. We must
understand that we have a mutual obligation of going the extra mile to work for
peace and promote each other’s joy, happiness and welfare.
Endless tales of woes and a ticking time bomb
Nigeria is expressing very
disturbing and distressing circumstances, where dark threatening clouds
overwhelmingly roll in, crippling our lives, destroying our peace and security
and deteriorating our country at a frightening pace. Day by day, the stories of
our dailies reveal how our people awake from extremely disturbing nightmares,
feeling profoundly troubled and fearing for the future of the nation. We see the
vicious circle of conflict and warfare, attack and counter attack, strike and
counter strike breeding hatred,
resentment and bitterness among our people. We see recklessness and
carelessness with impunity; we see endless militancy and terrorism; we see
reign of terror and incessant bloodletting, we see heart breaking and horrific
scenes of innocent people gunned down, killed and their scorched bodies lying
helpless on each other; we see decapitated, mutilated and naked corpses of our
innocent citizens; we see our people alarmed, agitated, trapped and cornered
like rats; we perceive some dangerous and merciless invisible insurgents and
hear their murderous campaigns and threats to inflict injuries on our innocent
citizens; we see the inhuman condition of life and the deplorable insecurity
situation spiraling dangerously into total chaos; we see our people deprived of
all dignity and brutalized in a climate of violence; we hear distressing voices
of people crying desperately for help; we see our desperate people caught up in
the grips of despair; we see the unfortunate game of ghost workers
phenomenon multiplying by the day and our systems suffocated. We witnessed spates
of bombings, kidnappings, assassinations, abductions, gun attacks on key point
and strategic areas of interest – Military formations, Churches, Schools,
Market places, Banks and private residences by unidentified gun men on motor
cycles, who trail their victims to attack and inflict serious injuries on them.
These sad and ugly events bear witness to the painful chapter in the history of
Nigeria in our times. The increasing wave of socio-political and
ethno-religious crisis threatening our national security and corporate
existence calls for serious attention and deep prayer for mercy and healing
upon our land.
Going the extra mile and taking the extra steps to stop the ‘culture
of blame’
It is high time we take
responsibilities individually and collectively in handling and tackling issues
that confront us as a nation through prayers and concrete action. For
Scriptures says the good influence of a godly citizens causes a city to prosper
(Proverbs 11:11). Thankfully, God knows and has a profound wisdom about all
things. He sees from the beginning to the end of every matter, and understands
the absolute best course to take in every situation. We will not fail if we
place our trust in Him. Doing God’s Will is central to our calling as
Christians. The Speech of President Ronald Reagan on the National Day of Prayer Proclamation,
March 19, 1981, holds special appeal for us as Nigerians passing through the
storms of revolution and disillusionment: ‘Our Nation’s motto – ‘In God We
Trust’ – was not chosen lightly. It reflects a basic recognition that there is
a divine authority in the Universe to which the Nation owes homage. Throughout
our history, Americans have put their faith in God and no one can doubt that we
have been blessed for it. … Prayer is today as powerful a force in our Nation
as it has ever been. We as a Nation should never forget this source of
strength. And while recognizing that the freedom to choose a godly path is the
essence of liberty, as a nation we cannot but hope that more of our citizens
would, through prayer, come into closer relationship with their maker’.[1]
The way to which Christ calls us
can be sometimes daunting (Matthew 5:39-44). Jesus tells us to offer other
cheek, give our extra tunic, walk the extra mile, love our enemy and pray for
those who persecute us. This task to extra patience, unbridled generosity and
untiring commitment to another is not for the weak and faint hearted. God
calls us to do the impossible sometimes; but we can with His help and grace. It
is at the crucial moment like this when we have reached our human limit that we
must surrender to the grace of God.
Today there are so many ways and
so many situations where it is far easier to criticize than to give help and
support. When things go wrong today, we see the culture of blame,
condemnation and judgment. We are merely concerned to identify a scapegoat
than fix the problem; more concerned to punish wrong doers than heal the
injury. Yes, we have made mistakes as a people, fallen short of the mark and
displayed dishonorable faults with impunity, but mere blames and criticism will
not help. The important question for us now is not ‘whose fault is this?
But How can we put it right? Let us not go through our national life
wearing mask and pretending that all is well.
The words of Henri J. M. Nouwen,
in his book the Road to Daybreak speaks to us here: ‘I read in the
Gospel of (Matthew 5: 23-24) Jesus’
words: ‘If you are bringing your gift to the altar…’ These words have stayed
the whole day. When I think back on the friendships, encounters and
confrontations of the past, I realize that islands of anger, bitterness, and
resentment still lie hidden in my heart. My inner life is so filled with
opinions, judgments, and prejudices about my brothers and sisters that real
peace is far away. As I think about Jesus’ words, I know that I must let go of
all these divisive emotions and thoughts so that I can truly experience peace
with all of God’s people. This means an
unrestrained willingness to forgive and let go of fears, bitterness,
resentment, anger, and lust, and thus find reconciliation’.[2]
Unless we confront and deal with our unresolved and deep rooted bitterness and
defuse this controlling damaging feeling and attitude, it can destroy us.
Our greatest weapon is Prayer and God’s Help
The greatest tool we have is the
power of prayer and God’s help. God governs in all the affairs of men. Since
prayer is deeply rooted in our socio-cultural and religious heritage as a people
of different religious persuasions, we must turn to God in prayers as a nation
dedicated under Him, through this times of storms and disarray for divine
guidance and deliverance in the quest for liberty, justice and healing for our
land. As we pursue our national desires and goals, we must not fail to pause to
hear the Lord. We should take time to wait on God patiently in prayer, lest
we miss out His blessings. It is crucial that we sit and pay attention to what
He is saying to us and strive to walk with Him. We have a responsibility to
keep listening, trusting and obeying. Though we live in tumultuous times,
our assurance is that our Sovereign God is in control and rules the universe.
He can restore joy and bring about good from even the most overwhelming
circumstances. So why do we then settle for mediocre life when we can reach our
full potentials. The road we chose today without seeking for God’s direction
may lead to heartache. Let this uncertainty draw us back to God like a magnet.
The days and times may be hard for Nigeria, but it has brought out the best in
some of us.
Conclusion
While we salute the intervention
of the military through the presidential order of Goodluck Jonathan which has
restored normalcy and confidence in the hearts of our people around the Nigeria
and Chad border region; we challenge His government and cabinet to face
squarely the issues of poverty reduction and job creation, work for better
economy and welfare of Nigerians, combat corruption, human trafficking, child
abuse and sex slavery; strengthen and improve cooperation and policy
implementation and coordination between all tiers of government, and to empower
and strengthen institutions and regulatory bodies to ensure strict compliance
to democratic principles and tenets for good corporate governance. Attention should be given to environmental
issues of poor sanitation, refuse dumps, drainage and other factors associated
with slum communities. We must take our future as a people seriously and be
committed to working and building a good solid nation together. We must seek
new insight and direction for a constructive way forward for everyone.
Remember, our power to do good and to become a dynamic nation diminishes when
our people are ill and broken; therefore,
preserving and defending a healthy and formidable nation is a moral and
religious duty. As we connect to God in all things, let us keep ourselves
motivated by aligning and keying to His will, plan and purposes for healing
upon our land.
[1]
David R. Shepherd, Ronald Reagan: In God
I Trust. President Reagan’s Statements of Faith in God and their Effects on the
Nation and the World; Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 1984,
Pp. 57-58.
[2]
Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak, p. 141.
Rev Fr Michael
Adefemi Adegbola, Director, Media Service Centre Kaduna Nigeria 2013.
