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There is an urgent need to remind all Christians and indeed all mankind that when we pray, we do God no favour. Prayer is more about us than it is about God. In fact, prayer is really about man, not God. God does not become more God or a better God when human beings pray.
Yes, prayers might be to God but 100 over 100, prayers are like democracy: they are of man, by man and for man. God cannot stop being God just because man stopped praying. God loses nothing when prayerlessness happens or increases. Not so, the prayerless man; which must be why even atheists would tell you that no sane individual feels all right to go a day let alone a week sans praying.
Man depoys prayer to connect to God. God doesn’t need to pray to connect to man nor does He need prayer to survive or achieve, whatsoever. Prayer is man’s spiritual ladder or antenna or flight to (connect with) you-know-who. With wisdom, education, technology, connection and hard work (in that order) struggling for pride of place at the bottom rung, prayer is top of the range and in a class of its own when it comes to man’s most talismanic survival tool.
Prayer is spiritual food. Man’s spirituality wanes or weakens once prayerlessness becomes his norm. A prayerless believer might become exposed or vulnerable. For man, there’s really too much -so to say- in prayer.
That’s the point I have been labouring to make, since. Man is not aware that prayer is not just any key. Prayer is the master key. Prayer is far much more.
There’s absolutely nothing that prayer is too big or too little for. There’s absolutely no place you cannot pray; even in the belly of the fish. There’s absolutely no particular way you must pray. And, there’s absolutely no rule, no law in how you pray; what a joy!
Prayer is freestyle something; freestyle communication. You can stand, you can sit, you can kneel; your head can even be on the ground and your feet in the air while praying. You may open or close or blink your eyes while praying; that stops or changes nothing. You may shout or whisper or not even utter a word while praying; it is your choice; it does not affect the only One whose prerogative answering prayers is.
To the main dish, now. Prayer has too many energies or properties that man is either unaware of or has refused to utilise. The way prayer is wired, it holds far so much for man in the physical realm; that is, beyond the spiritual. Let’s check out some physical efficacies of this spiritual therapy.
Number one, prayerfulness guards or saves you from betrayal and accusation or such other troubles. A smart prayerful human being can never be misquoted or accused of having said this or that to so-and-so. That’s because -on all sensitive issues- such a one talks only to God and God is not a man that He should repent to the point of betraying confidence. When a believer prays, that secret request or message is locked away for eternity.
Number two, talking about fear, prayer keeps or insulates a knowing prayer warrior from fear or anxiety -physically and otherwise. Bold, surefooted Christians fear nobody; they fear nothing. Because they possess the secret code that Christ is, as the way, the truth and the life, intelligent prayerful people know too much to be afraid of anybody or to be anxious for anything. This is one physical attraction of prayer that I really love.
Number three, prayerfulness ensures you are forever loyal. A true prayerful person cannot be anything less than faithful, loyal and trusted. You cannot develop the patience to wait on God to answer your prayers and not simultaneously develop that virtue with man as well. Prayerfulness teaches loyalty, patience, and trust.
Number four, prayer offers uncanny physical strength and answers. The real man or woman or child of prayer is permanently imbued with the power to be, the power to do, the power to say, the power to receive and the power to give. Prayer is a powerful, multipurpose talisman. Spiritually or physically, prayer is never useless.
Number five, prayerfulness builds love, joy and forgiveness. Prayer kills self and hate and envy and bitterness and sadness. There’s no great person of prayer who’s given to greed and bitterness. Prayer teaches love so you must flee from any so-called prayer warrior who’s not given to love and sacrifice and joy and forgiveness.
Number six, prayer builds you up. It renews your mind either totally or here and there. Show me someone given to prayer and I’d immediately show you someone whose confidence level or sense of self worth has skyrocketed. They live a far happier life, double sure that they shall never be stranded since their father is in charge -25 hours daily.
Number seven, prayerfulness makes you unconquerable, untouchable, and a sure go-to person. Someone whose prayer has raised the dead feels invincible and that’s nothing spiritual. No matter the situation, this individual never lives in doubt. And, since the world wants signs and wonders before believing, this is the kind of person people shall always run to physically for spiritual help.
Finally, Dear People of God, please rework your prayer life if need be. Prayer is the magic formula; it never fails. Apart from its immense spiritual potentialities, prayer holds so many physical blessings. Prayer rocks.
God bless Nigeria!
Maryam Shettima: The meaning of character
Last Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu surprisingly named Kano-born physiotherapist and social media sensation, popularly called Maryam Shetty, among his second tranche of ministerial nominees. While Nigerians were still checking her out, the president engaged a more surprising gear, of reverse and at a high speed. He withdrew her nomination minutes before she was to walk into the hallowed chambers of the senate for screening.
One has read mountains of literature seeking to explain away what I term the nick of time presidential abortion of ministerial orgasm. One notes with a knowing sneer the convenience of bandying such names as immediate past Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, GCON, immediate past Governor of Kano state who is now National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje or such excuses as she once tweeted this or supported that. One is neither swayed by nor concerned about these things.
Rather, it’s the Kano Princess’s reaction to it all -for me. Instead of cursing and throwing tantrums all over the place, as we always see with our politicians, she has been simply wonderfully graceful. She has been busy thanking the president and Vice President Kashim Shettima et al.
Many thanks, Dr Maryam Shetty, for being a great model: such uncanny gracefulness. I have read and reread your Facebook post on this matter. I shall reread and reread it, again and again .
Rest assured that the same hand, the same system, that threw you up and while you were still celebrating went on (within 48 hours) to throw you under the bus shall soon, very soon, permanently right that wrong. Meanwhile, please keep that spirit, that attitude and that smile: nothing and nobody qualify to take them from you. “The best is yet to come”: you “shall come back”!
Niger Republic: Is neocolonialism about to end in Africa?
Our continent is poor, not only because of mind-boggling corruption and sundry misdemeanours by its leaders but more also because of neocolonialism. Why are the West breathing down our neck?
Why won’t First World and Second World allow Third World to breathe? Why is our wealth stashed away other than in African banks?
Why do the West only promote social, economic and political causes that keep Africa forever on a leash? Who did our forefathers offend or what abomination did they commit that we cannot in the 21st century enjoy true freedom and the good life?
This writer abhors crooked paths but if the hide and seek in Niger is the only way out for Africa and Africans, what next? Dear God, you are all we have: please liberate Africa even from Africans!
