We thank our President for declaring the National Day of Prayer. For us in the Africa Center for the Study of Worldviews and Wholistic Development of Societies, while the declaration is wonderful, we have serious concerns since it goes to affirm only the religiosity of the Ghanaian.
While it’s very important to take note of the love for prayers by all religious people and indeed the rituals of monthly revivals, fastings, prayer conventions, etc., it is important to examine our love for prayers vis-à-vis our mindsets and attitudes.
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Prayers are generally meant to appeal, intercede to God, and seek God’s face and favor in our predicaments. It’s also used in worship and praise to the Most High God. Prayer is also a relationship between the believers and the gods/God they serve. The very reason why Christians pray the Lord’s prayer: “Our Father…”. However, that should be asked if people know Him and have this relationship with Him. As a nation, God has given us almost everything we need for development and prosperity, including massive natural resources, good land, and vegetation; even with the climate change that others are suffering from, we are blessed with lots of rain and wonderful weather, and above all, very talented, skillful, and great people! But we are praying as if God has done nothing for us and everything depends on God to do it again for us.
We have to critically examine the problems of poverty, diseases, hunger, deprivation, and the problems of flooding that devastated our nation recently. Honestly, can we say that these problems emanate from God or are man-made, through our carelessness, greed, selfishness, corrupt and immoral ways? In the midst of our religiosity and prayers, corruption is endemic; the greed, nepotism, and selfishness in our society. Can we keep praying to God/Allah that we don’t respect, honor, or even obey while we remain in these sins? Are we not just making a mockery and ridiculing Him since we know that we will not obey Him, and yet we keep praying, singing, and worshipping Him? 2
Chronicles 7:14 *If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land. This is the God that we are praying to. It is incredible to have over 80% of the Ghanaian population praying in Chapels, cathedrals, and Mosques to this God/Allah, and yet many continually get involved in bribery, greed, selfishness, high corruption, and various types of wickedness in our society today. This has brought our nation to our knees, including devastation from flooding.
Can various governments over the years account to Ghanaians on the various amounts of money received since the 1990s from the World Bank, IMF, funding agencies in grants and loans for drainage, dredging, sewage, pollution, and sanitation?
If half of that amount has been spent on the improvement of our sewage and drainage systems in Accra and other cities, the problems would have been somehow solved.
The various District Assemblies and Metropolitan offices have people positioned and paid monthly to plan, monitor, and supervise projects; many just concern themselves about what will go into their pockets. The politicians we trusted and voted for in various ministries, departmental heads, etc: majority of religious people who are either in the Church or Mosque. And they are all JUST being called to pray! So leaders and people who are thieves, greedy, selfish, corrupt, and immoral are all praying since they are all religious and the call is for them to pray, not to change their ways!
Proverbs 14:32. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any nation
People are being asked to pray instead of being told to repent and turn from their immoral ways or change from their wicked ways. Religious leaders are positioned to nurture righteousness in their people to influence society for the prosperity of the nations. Rather in Ghana, many are always requesting their members to pray when they are not even living right with the God they are praying to.
We suggest that this day should be a national day of repentance and prayer to remind people to turn from their greed, selfishness, wickedness, and corruption
Our nation needs Religious leaders who are sincere, bold, and fair to the God they claim to represent. They know the wickedness, the evil and corrupt nature of their members in the Churches and Mosques. Yet many fail to call them to repent and change their ways, but instead keep calling them for worship and prayers. God can only hear prayers of those who humble themselves, seek Him sincerely, and turn away from their sins and wickedness. 2 Chronicles 7:14🙏🏻🙏🏻
Source: Dr. Chris Ampadu, Director, Africa Center for the Study of Worldviews and Wholistic Development of Societies.