When do you pray ?(II)

updated: Sunday 25-10-2009

Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee.” 2 Chr. 6 v 39.

•Pray when there is divine chastisement.
“LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them. Isa. 26 v 16

•Pray when death is certain.
“Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.” Isa. 38 v 5

•Pray when God seems to be quiet in the ti me of troubles.
“In the first year of his reign I Damel understood b} books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years. in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.” Dan. 9 v 2-3

•Pray before and when you are taking a decision.
“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.” Lk.6 v 12-13
•Pray when the battle is hottest. Often times, people want to give up when the night is darkest.

“Then comet . Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.” Matth. 26 v 36

•Pray while waiting on God’s promise.
“These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” Matth. 26 v 36

• Pray during persecution.
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matth. 5 v 44

•Pray when labourers are few during harvest.
“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Matth. 9 v 38

12. Pray to make an unbearable situation bearable.
“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day.” Matth. 24 v 20

• Pray when temptations are near.
“Watch and pray, that ye’ enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matt 26 v 41

• Pray when you receive spiritual messages you don’t understand.
“Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.” 1 Cor. 14 v 13-14

The wicked are the enemies of God

updated: Sunday 25-10-2009

The wicked are the enemies of God. The enemies of the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The wicked are the ritualists, the cultists, the pagans, the ungodly, the unrighteous, the unclean, the immoral. The wicked are the power-mongers i.e. those who seek power at all costs and by all means. We recall the sorry case of Boko Haram sect crisis. The kind of attack and counter-attack that led to the gruesome killing of over 700 disciples of the Boko Haram sect was engendered by the ruling class and the Nigerian government.

With pervasive poverty and misery in the North and country as a whole, religious bigotry engendered by the Northern ruling class has blossomed into full blown fundamentalism with various smaller sections of the ruling class using it to foster their pecuniary interests while young disillusioned minds, who have been deprived of basic living means have found solace in religious fundamentalism.

God is judging evil, sin, negligence, callous insensitivity as well as the political recklessness of our politicians and public office holders through the restiveness of groups like the Boko Haram (i.e. Western-education-is-a taboo-belief) in the North; we have the Niger Delta militants in the creeks of South-South; we have the Igbo secessionists in the South-East, you have the freedom and human rights fighters in the South-West of Nigeria. These elements have become like instruments of backlash upon the government, the untoward and uncaring socio-political system of our nation.

God is judging the insensitive political class with the restiveness of the Niger-Delta area Militancy and insurgency through the incessant and endless commando-style kidnapping and abductions. It is believed that the ruling class will wake up and get the message.

It is mind-boggling to know or imagine the magnitude of unemployment, poverty, degradation, deprivation, and hopelessness of the citizenry of this country. Who when they had become extremely despondent and frustrated are now picking up arms against the society through kidnappings, abductions, armed-robberies, thefts, arsons and vandalism.

All correspondence to the editor, The Living Word, Ibadan Anglican Diocese, P.o. box 3075 Mapo, Ibadan. For your proper and counselling needs, visit or call these lines. Archbishop’s Palace, 3 Arigidi Street, Old Bodija, Ibadan. GSM: 08039135983, 08060947795. E-mail mess-iah@ Skammet. com.