Spiritual Questions for the Covid-19 Crisis
If our prayers can take away this plague, then we should prepare to use a lot of it to change Nigeria’s legacy problems when this is all over.
Simply put, if your prayers couldn’t prevent the plague from coming in the first place, then I don’t think it can take it away.
I have seen some call for global prayers against Covid-19, I have also seen the latter tagged a plague ‘from the Devil’. Firstly, I am Christian and I believe in the Power of God to protect his own and heal the sick — which are not necessarily scientific. Simply put I believe in Miracles — which you will require a lot of to survive in Africa.
However, I have some difficult questions for my fellow believers in Africa. Do you sincerely think your prayer is what is going to take away this “plague”? Before you get offended by my question, let me explain. Yes! I personally believe the Prayer can protect and more importantly re-position you for life after the storm — so you’re better off, just like God preserved the Israelites prior to the Exodus in the Bible. But take a closer look, the nature of the situation should interpret the handwriting on the wall. Here are some observations I have made of the situation as of today.
- It's showing the limitations of man — Imagine how invincible man thought he had become. With ideas of exploring other worlds, potential solutions to live forever, Artificial Intelligence and untold advancements in Science, Technology, Engineering etc. These are all true and remarkable and have also been used to advance the course of humanity — which I am thankful for. But here comes this tiny virus, impossible to see with the naked eye, ravaging mankind. Man is not invincible and millennials who never saw the World Wars and other catastrophic events need to know this early.
2. It's creating an unprecedented paradox in history — African countries are closing their borders to foreign countries. If you lived in Nigeria at the time of publishing this article, you’re safer from the virus in Borno or Kebbi States rather than in Abuja or Lagos. The rich and mighty now have to use the hospitals they abandoned because the foreign ones are overwhelmed and will not receive them.
3. Even the most protected women and men — Presidents and Prime Ministers are not immune, we know of some who have already contracted it. Celebrities were also not spared.
4. Religious Institutions are asked to sit at home on worship days
5. Families are now together
ETC…
Things are clearly different! And in my opinion, man for the first time has to stop the rat race and introspect.
Let us examine this more carefully, there were Wars and Starvation in Yemen and Syria and the World was too busy to notice. Malaria was killing more people than this virus would at the projected end of its cycle and I had never heard any religious organization praying against Malaria. In fact, Bill Gates, who is not a Nigerian is more passionate about solving the problem than we the victims.
Narrowing down on Nigeria, we have over 10million kids out of school (which a lot of us don’t understand the catastrophic potential impact); we became the poverty capital of the World, there was a resurgence of insecurity, which even forced the South West Region to take matters into their hands and establish their own security outfit. Look at the emergency packages declared by the foreign Governments to mitigate the economic impact of this virus. The UK PM used the term “no matter the cost” (sounds like an unlimited budget) to pay the salaries of anyone who is out of work due to this crisis.
Meanwhile, in my beloved country, we are taking our Youth Unemployment like another regular problem. Very sadly, our best brains are leaving the country in search of hope in Canada and other places. Millions are still in IDP camps, Lassa fever was ravaging states, women and children are dying of basic ailments. I have not mentioned corruption in the civil service, poor educational system, malnutrition among children and so many other embarrassing realities that are wrong with us as a nation and are 10X Covid-19 — requiring a state of emergency for prayers.
So here is my shock, we are now able to pray away a problem (Covid-19) that is a tithe of our real problems in Nigeria because it is affecting the high and mighty, closed our International Airports and we cannot go to church on Sunday??? I think we need another sermon to understand how prayer really works. I am also not downplaying the negative economic impact this will have on us all but I am saying for ordinary Nigerians, things were not exactly great, the elite was only verbally concerned and we weren’t really praying about it with such fervency and faith!
Simply put, if your prayers couldn’t prevent the plague from coming in the first place, then I don’t think it can take it away. It’s definitely above “our pay grade”. Peradventure the prayer takes it away, then it has to deliver us from corruption, give us ideas for our millions of unemployed and hopeless youth, insecurity and put the country on a trajectory of development.
The nature and pattern of this plague look more like a world-wide reset to me than the act of the Devil. Besides the Devil cannot be this powerful, if he was he would do this every year.
Do you need to ask your father for protection?
My prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and for those caring for the affected.
