Pray for the Nation
The Roles of Christians in Peace and Nation-Building
By: David Oletu (DCM)
God honours people who pray.
Praying shows that we are humble and do not rely solely on our natural abilities but on God.
In this perilous time, do not be quick to spread bad news. Do not be a rumormonger.
Let your space, both online and offline, be filled with things that are soothing and edifying.
1 Thessalonians 5:25 KJV
[25] Brethren, pray for us.
We are in a very perilous time where things are not going well for some people anymore,
or rather, where suffering, frustration, and insecurity are on the rise daily in some regions.
People are rendered hopeless and are now in search of a saviour that can bring them out of their dark pit.
People’s minds are beginning to derail. Many are renouncing their faith in God.
To some, God is now seen as a non-existent imaginary idea because they feel like if God really loved them, they wouldn’t have to go through any of life’s struggles.
They have accepted worldly troubles and systems as their reality, thereby seeing God’s word as a mere fairy tale.
Dear Christians, our hands should not be folded, and our eyes should not be closed to those things.
Pray for the Nation
This is our assignment. We are God’s vessels, used to demonstrate His good works and powers to the lost and dying world.
We are God’s light, which should brighten up the darkness that spreads all over.
Our responsibilities as Christians don’t lie within ourselves alone, nor more specifically, in our church alone.
We are responsible for the good of our nation. Therefore, we have certain roles to play in peace and nation-building.
- Spread Hope: In this perilous time, do not be quick to spread bad news. Do not be a rumormonger.
Let your space, both online and offline, be filled with things that are soothing and edifying.
Ephesians 4:29
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification may impart grace to the hearers.”
Our words and actions go a long way in either building and strengthening us or ruining us completely.
You are a Christian who is so influential on social media.
In the ministry, you sing, and in the business world, you are a successful entrepreneur.
Many people love how you use your sonorous voice to glorify God. They get so blessed whenever they watch your musical video online.
And Many have even made you their role models as a result.
Some wouldn’t even mind swallowing a whole banana and drinking a big bowl of hot water just to see themselves have your kind of voice.
There is, however, this particular girl named Faith.
She was a silent follower. ‘You knew her not from Adam’. A fresh university graduate with no rich parents and no rich friends.
But She depended solely on her academic certificate, hoping to get a befitting job for herself.
And She had applied to several industries that had always responded to her with the first ‘unfortunately’ tagline,
or the regular ‘I will get back to you’ conclusion to stylishly reject her in a way that pleases the heart, temporarily.
Faith feels frustrated. It feels like she should just end it all.
But, in her determined quest to find some more good motivations and opportunities, she started scrolling through social media one day.
And suddenly, a post you made popped up on her screen.
The post says:
“There are no jobs for graduates. Don’t be a lazy youth. Go and farm. Go and establish yourself on your own. Over 50,000 people applied for one job, but only 20 were selected. Is that not enough for you to see reality?”
Faith’s hope was dashed the moment she saw such a post—a post coming from a person she had admired so much.
She had no choice but to register your words in her brain and completely lose hope.
Where will Faith start establishing herself on her own when she can barely feed herself?
Even the money that was used to sponsor her education was borrowed in anticipation that she would pay it back when she was able to secure a job with her certificates.
However, even if your words about your society were true, you have successfully turned Faith’s faith into fear and uncertainty in your quest to show the reality of the world.
That is not a good Christian character or response in these perilous times.
Pray for the Nation
1st Thessalonians 5:11: “Therefore, comfort each other and edify one another, just as you are doing,” and let your speech always be gracious and seasoned with salt.
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Give:
Philippians 2:4: “Let each of you look out not only for his or her own interests but also for the interests of others.”
In this perilous time, render help in any way you can.
God has uplifted many Christians in the business world, and they must know that they are blessed to be a blessing to others and not only to themselves.
When Jesus was on earth, he gave, he fed, and most preciously, he gave his life so that we may have life and have it in abundance!
If Christ had no compassion for people’s well-being, He wouldn’t have given a thought to the hungry state of the 5000 people who were following him.
He would have sent them away, as advised by his disciples.
But Jesus didn’t send them away; he fed them because he had the power to provide for their needs.
We should emulate Christ’s nature of giving.
When Christians give more in this perilous time, more people will be encouraged to lead a good and positive life.
The poor can also be built to a level where they no longer need to depend on anyone for survival, and they could as well end up being givers.
And that is how the chain of helpers will keep increasing through you, till there is no reason to smell lack.
You may have probably been discouraged from giving as a result of people’s ingratitude and evilness towards good, but remember 1 Peter 3:9, which says:
“Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.”
If you don’t have a heart for giving, also remember that you will need some help one day.
So, “as you wish that others would do to you (when the time comes), also do to them.” ~Luke 6:31
Pray for the Nation
- Be involved: God owns the earth and every living and non-living creature on it.
If everything is owned by my father, why shouldn’t I be excited about being a part of those who should subdue and dominate it?
Whenever I see a problem, I am always eager to be at the place that can enable me to find solutions to those problems,
rather than see myself add more problems or keep people hopeless through my words and actions.
God has created us to dominate the earth.
Christians should be found in places that make good things happen.
More Christians should be seen occupying the political and business spaces to build nature.
Genesis 1:26:
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
We should not feel comfortable seeing our father’s creatures destroyed by the evil system of the world.
Let us be there to drive positive change and make good things happen.
- Be a good example: When you get to a position of power and authority, or in any other position you are found working in the business world, be a good example for others to follow.
It appears that many Christians occupy a large part of the business and political space, but many of them end up being blinded by material things and compromise their faith.
As Christians, you should not be found joining others to cause harm.
Don’t do bad things because others are doing them. We are light, and we must act as such.
For your sake, for the sake of the people, and the sake of God’s will on Earth, we should drive the change we want to see, starting with ourselves.
It doesn’t matter what profession you are in.
If you are a cleaner, don’t just do it for monetary gains, but with a vision to encourage a clean environment, even in times when you don’t get paid.
While leading that vision, let people also see how clean you are.
Unbelievers are watching believers, and they will judge us based on whatever trait they see in us.
Whether we like it or not, beyond our words, our conduct will go a long way in making them see reasons to either accept or reject the gospel of Christ.
- Pray for the nation: There is a wrong idea we should all erase from our minds—the idea that states that “it is not by prayer.”.
That is an idea that can limit our belief in what God can do for us.
No matter the situation, let us never stop praying.
God instructs that “we should pray without ceasing.” It is an instruction, meaning if we go against it, we disobey God.
God honours people who pray. Praying shows that we are humble and do not rely solely on our natural abilities but on God.
No matter how good we are, there will always be times when we need to call upon God.
We should not underestimate the intentionality and power of God’s might and thought for us.
If we do, we are slowly drifting away from our faith.
Philippians 4:6 tells us that “we should not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer, petition, and thanksgiving, we should present our requests to God.”
And if we have faith and believe, according to Matthew 21:22 and Mark 11:24, we will receive.
Let us therefore keep praying for one another with faith, not with fear, so that we may be healed.
For the prayers of the righteous person have great power, and they are working.” ~James 5:16
Also Read: Be a Good Citizen – Diademng (thediademng.org)
Pray for the Nation
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