BY S.B.WILLIAMS
From history we know that when God wants to deliver any nation from pending calamities, disaster, untold hardship or any tragic situation or predicament, He sends a man with a message to that nation.
Such messages transcend religions barriers, doctrines and prejudice. I am referring to messages which simply call for national prayer and fasting to effect deliverance of a nation.
These messages usually require all those who believe in the Almighty God to pray and fast within the time frame directed by God. Obedience, above all, is what matters because the fasting and prayer is for the nation as a whole.
ROLE OF THE INTER – RELIGIONS COUNCIL
The Inter – Religious Council has done so much for this nation as revealed by the secretary during “Bintumani III.” I want to suggest that whenever God sends a message to the nation requiring prayer and fasting, the Inter –Religious Council plays its part to make it inclusive of both Muslims and Christians. Why do I suggest this?
The reason is that the recent call through Pastor Francis A.M. Mambu does not prescribe deviation from any established prayer pattern as long as the prayer and fasting is sincerely directed to the one true God.
THE NINEVEH CASE
God sent Jonah the prophet to go with a warning message of destruction to Nineveh, the details of his refusal and his subsequent abode in the fish – belly are not the focus of this narrative (Jonah Chapter 1& 2) but the message and how the people of Nineveh received it:
“And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, ‘Yet forthy days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!
“So the people Nineveh believed God and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
“For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth and sat in ashes.
“And he caused it to be proclaimed through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles saying, Let neither man nor beast, hard nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed nor drink water.
“But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hand.
“Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not?
“And God saw their works that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did in not”.
This is the kind of response we expect from fellow Sierra Leoneans. After all prayer and fasting does not kill anybody if done wisely. Obedience to God’s directive will move Sierra Leone to unprecedented heights.
The example of the king of Nineveh is food for thought especially for those in high positions in this nation. When messages of prayer and fasting for repentance are delivered to the nation, we should forget about what we think about the vessel God uses. In this case, Pastor Francis A.M. Mambu is the vessel God is using.
There are many other men of God who are highly spiritually gifted and are making impacts in their various congregations and this nation. But when it comes to direct messages to the nation God chooses a man as His mouthpiece. The choice of such a man is God’s prerogative.
FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY
No one can deny that there is so much evil going on in this country; corruption, wickedness, hate, murder and idol worship, etc, to name a few.
These were the things that threatened Nineveh’s survival. But the prompt response of the people caused God to change His mind.
In Luke 13:1 some people are reported to have told Jesus about a tragic incident in which the tower of Siloam fell upon 18 people and killed them.
In response Jesus said; “Or those eighteen people upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and slew them, thinking that they sinners above all those that dwelt in Jerusalem?
“I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
No one is secure in the midst of prevalent sin. This is why we need to join the call for national repentance through prayer and fasting for God to have mercy and move this nation to lasting peace and prosperity.
THE TIME FACTOR
When there was a threat of rebel invasion of Freetown churches proclaimed prayer and fasting and they did fast. But the rebels entered Freetown and caused destruction of human lives and property mankind, in one of his tapes, revealed that he asked God why he allowed the rebels to enter Freetown in spite of the prayer and fasting for aversion. Pastor Mambu revealed that God said, “My son, you did pray and fast, but the prayer was too late”. These tell us that prayer can be late and therefore God’s instructions must be obeyed promptly.
Factors that militate against obedience and cooperation Intellectualism
Many intellectuals downplay prophecy because they want to prove everything. They fail to realise or accept that many truths and mysteries are beyond human critical analysis and definitely beyond their academic discipline.
RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE
Religions prejudice exists and it creates doubts about any revelation or prophecy that does not come from a particular religion. However, we can still ask God for mercy through prayer and fasting according to our various ways of prayer and fasting.
Finally we must remember that it was the same man God directed to organise a crusade and prayer and fasting in November 2017 and also another session just before the election. Obedience to God’s directives brought the change necessary for the nation.
Let us believe that God uses man to speak to this nation.