Does God Still Answer Prayers?

By Bernadette Idalu

A perplexed resident of Benin City, Edo State, today, Sunday June 25, 2023, queried if human ills have become so weighty hence the delay by God to answer prayers? She made this comment while pointing at prevailing negative social indicators.

Pointing at some socio-economic factors such as occupation, education, income, wealth, community safety and social support which she said were in rebate as basis for analysis, the  respondent who didn't want her name out in print stated that she prayed for a speedy miracle to happen, to help keep fragments of society together.

Bemoaning hardship in society and the need to put in place policies which would boost the economy, she lamented, "Person just dey disappear dey comot for ground  day by day. Suffering and smiling full ground. Wen you shat come out make person help, the person wen you meet go kuku open im own wrapper for ground for you. Na you go beg am make e nor vex as you come disturb am. Everywhere spoil. Area dey vex. Nobody get anything o, na packaging."

She noted that there was so much individuals were grappling with presently in society as to make one spiritually weak.

Sounding hilarious, she pointed out, "Na who chop bellyful naim dey fit open maht dey shat, kabash dey praise God for shurch. Dis economic somtin is too much."

Going rhetorical she pointed out that even her pastor today in church lamented that people have been keeping away from church due to high transportation costs.

Those who made it to church, she observed, must be commended as they made huge personal sacrifice either trekking long distances or coughing up huge sums as taxi fares or using such money to buy fuel into cars to appear in church.

Decrying this predicament she stated, I am a civil servant, "Haven bought half tank of fuel for fifteen thousand naira aside other sundry costs, my expenditure certainly affects my offerings in church. In this, God understands.

"I nor dey look person face go put money for ground wen pass my budget. I nor dey put hand for wetin pass me. I nor go use shame go chop sand"

A reality check round Etete and surrounding streets showed a lull in church activities. There was a marked absence of church activities. Even on a Sunday, there was a significant absence of church music and sound intertwining through the air.

Surprisingly even salvation criers who wake people up from their beds, with loud cries and biblical anecdotes which reference Jesus Christ and the way of salvation mysteriously have cleared off the streets, leaving people at the mercy of the cold wind, with its "Still, small voice."