I just wanted to ask Pastor Samson, Pastor Muraya, Pastor Beatrice, Pastor Overa, Brother Jamlik, Pastor Muirani, Sister Catherine, Sister Lissa, Pastor Tilla, Sister Josephine, Brother Saidimu, Sister Naomi and all the holy brothers and sisters in Stockholm; I just wanted to ask them some polite questions which I first need to put into context.
Since the crisis in our country began after the rigging or after the victory (depending on where you stand) last December, Kenyans in Stockholm have been praying like never before for Jesus to open a way so that peace can return to our country.
At Bagarmossen Church, there have been special prayers for Kenya on a regular basis, at St Klara Church it has been hectic while at St Emanuel Church where Ambassador Purity prays, the faithful have been fellowshipping and swalloshipping at the Church’s African Department every Friday night in a special “disco session” complete with music, piano tunes and gospel songs to pray for peace in Kenya. Haleluyha and Bwana asifiwe rants have rent the air as the crisis in Kenya came into International focus.
Kenyans in Stockholm have literally been crawling on their knees, rolling on the floor and speaking in tongues while others have been jerking their bodies violently, revoking the name of Jesus Christ to send his spirit down to earth to sooth Raila Odinga, Mwai Kibaki, William Ruto, Martha Karua, John Michuki and others so that these guys can agree on that one kathing – “Political settlement”.
They have asked God to give Kofi Annan the wisdom, the fore-sight, the vision, the charisma, the advantage, the power, the glory and all the tricks in the book to bring those two guys who are fighting over earthly State House to understand that precious lives are being lost because of them.
Different kinds of bibles of different shapes and colours from different regions of the world have been opened and closed several times – the Gideon’s bible, The King James Bible, The Revised Standard Version, The English Standard Bible, The Living Bible, The Good News Bible, The New International Bible, The Jerusalem Bible and others, all in the name of pleading with God to help Kenya so that the suffering of our people can end.
Chapters and verses have been read from the Gospel according to this and that Mfarisai, interpreted and re-interpreted to relate Kenya to biblical situations where God did intervene to help suffering people. Sermons have been delivered, confessions have been made and God has repeatedly been requested to forgive Wakenya the sins they may have committed if that is what it takes to end the crisis in our bleeding country lakini wapi.
MASS MOBILIZATION FOR PRAYERS WITH MOBILE PHONES
Truly, we have heard how Moses led the Isralites out of Egypt for his people to escape slavery and suffering at the hands of Pharaoh and how he proceeded to open the red sea for his people to escape from their tormentors, how Jesus fed the starving 5,000 followers by turning stones into bread and how Samson slew the Philistines with a donkey jaw-bone because he was on a divine mission. All these have been cited to raise hopes and great expectation among our sullen people that their suffering too could be brought to a permanent end by non other than Sir God the Almighty who is capable of doing miracles.
Some Kenyans known to consume large amounts of alcohol stopped drinking and converted their mobile phones into instruments of “Mass mobilization” for Prayers to save Kenya. They paused drinking after they were strongly warned by believers that no prayers will be answered if they are inebriated, an indication that Kenyans have been “doing anything” within their means to help the prayers succeed and get our devastated country back to normal.
Now, after hundreds of hours of prayers spanning over several days, the talks have collapsed in Kenya and ODM has called for mass action on Thursday this week. Annan has threatened to pack his luggage and leave Kenya. More bloodshed is expected, more death and even more destruction of property is imminently on the way.
I have been bombarded with several SMS messages from Steve Khadir, Keegan Kaagwe and other pro-prayer SMSers directing that at 1.30 PM or 5.45 AM, every Kenyan in Stockholm is requested to stop whatever they are doing and “Pray for the Motherland”.
It doesn’t matter whether you are working, eating ugali or doing something else. You just have to warn your employer that at such and such a time you have to pray for your country no matter what! However, we are now faced with a situation where we are going back to December 30th kinda violence in less than 24 hours after we have been waking up and praying endlessly.
A critic may point out that may be, I don’t understand how prayer works or that I don’t believe in prayers and blah blah blah but tell me. What happened because Kenya is facing another period of even deeper uncertainty and the Kenyan population is worried.
Has the God we have been praying in Sweden abandoned our people or is it because Sweden houses the Devil’s bible which sends signals to sabotage prayers? Could the devil have been intercepting prayers through some satanic satellite patched above the North pole before the prayers reach God or what has actually happened to the terrific wave of prayers that have been transmitted through the mouths of many believers in Stockholm?
HOW COMES PAKISTANI PRAYERS WERE ANSWERED?
Have the prayers been “too little”, making God angry with the Kenya-Stockholm wafarisai or have Kenyans been “over-praying” thereby confusing God in a way that the Almighty has been unable to tell exactly what Kenyans want – a new Constitution, Kibaki to step down, a re-run of the vote, an end to violence, an end to blood-letting, an end to ethnic cleansing, return of refugees to their homes, more money to Kenya for humanitarian assistance, a Coalition government, a government of national unity, an end to tribalism or International mediation?
There are many problems around the world and millions of Christians are definitely engaged in deep Prayer to ask god to help. Could it be that there is a long mlolongo of prayers in the Kingdom in a way that “it is not yet time” for Kenya-Stockholm prayers to be answered or is it that those who have been praying have themselves been “too dirty and sinful” for their prayers to be heard by the God of Moses?
Could it be that there is something we don’t know because the election in Pakistan were peaceful even after the assassination of Butto yet in Kenya, Raila or Kibaki was not assassinated yet we had a major blood bath estimated to have killed more than 1500 Kenyans?
Why was there no post election violence in Pakisran? Does God want kitu kidogo and we don’t know or understand or is God still playing hard ball as Kenyans suffer? Should we call for mediation from outer space to link up our prayers or what should we do?
Could it be that Chrsitians have been preaching water and drinking wine thereby offending God and making him unable to intervene in the case of Kenyan prayers which have loudly been brought before him because how comes he answered the prayers of the Pakistanis where Musharaf sits as President after his Party was defeated Kibaki style and yet there was no violence linked to elections? Could the Pakistanis have sacrificed Butto to go and sooth God and should Kenyans sacrifice someone?
Can the leaders of the Kenya-Stockholm Christian community release a statement to explain the gigantic failure of multiple prayers as our country heads back to the road of bloodshed, senseless slaughter of civilians and wanton destruction of property? Back to Wafarisai!
Okoth Osewe
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