DECLARATIONS OR DOING WHAT IS RIGHT?

It was quite a great coincidence for the Independence Day, October 1^st, to fall on a Sunday this year, 2023. It offered many churches the opportunity to pray and declare many good things for and over Nigeria. I was in church and participated. But that was where my heart was stirred up to write this piece. A question kept disturbing my heart throughout the session, “is a nation built by these declarations or by doing what is right?”

I think that the answer is that a nation is built by doing what is right by the leaders and the people and not by declaring what we think is good to happen. Declaring what is good to happen does not make those good things to happen, no matter how loud we make shout. Good things are not somewhere hanging in the air. Good deeds are done by men. They are actions that are seen, actions that impact and actions that have consequences.

Doing what is right is like applying principles. Principles don’t look at the faces of those applying them. When they are applied, the results follow.

The nation of Israel was not built by the declarations done by the high priest on the days of their annual convocations. A nation is built by human beings that decide to do what is right and just. It is possible for a priest to conclude his declarations and yet go home to do violence to the “wife of his youth”. This was one of the offences God accused them of in Mal.2:13-17. In fact, God’s complain in verse 17 is that they have wearied Him with their words but the people asked, “how?” Look at God’s answer, “By saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them" or "Where is the God of justice?" Mal 2:17 NIV. The people have become so corrupt that they are saying that those who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord. The priests and leaders say that even God is pleased with them. Yet because of their experiences, they are also asking “where is the God of justice?”. What an irony! Does the picture look like Nigeria?

When we call evil good because of ethnic bias; when we support evil people and clean them up with spurious reasons because of gains, whatever it may be; when we keep silence and shy away from speaking out against evil because we don’t want to offend someone in power even though he or she is an evil man; when we as church leaders are perpetrating evil even within the church hierarchy against our subordinates, sabotaging the system to favour our ego and hold on power, enriching ourselves and loyal associates to ensure we live the good life even at the expense of the poor both within and around the church, dishonoring the marriage bed and living as settlers on this earth; when the wickedness some politicians do does not concern us as long as we parley and have access to their generosity whenever we want; when we participate in the corruption in our offices and market places because we think, “am I the person that will correct Nigeria?”; yet we look at how the country has become like a laughing stock in the comity of nations with the increase in the sufferings of the masses almost on a daily basis and you still ask “where is the God of justice?”, are we being truthful to ourselves? We shout and declare these good things, feel good in ourselves and yet we leave the gathering to go back to our corrupt lifestyles, do we think that that is the way a nation is built?

Righteousness builds a nation. Doing right is the only thing that will bring a change to our nation. Every nation that applies the right policies sincerely, does the right things for the benefit of their people, whether with religious declaration or not, will see results, no matter their religious leaning. Principles are blind, they don’t have sentiments, emotions, or bias. They are just there. Anybody can apply them and get results. So, while shouting and declaring good things over the country may make us feel good and stir up wonderful expectations, what will bring actual results is doing the right thing wherever we are.