There was this pious dude. Never missed a Church service. Tithed religiously. The Bible was his pillow and was well regarded.
One day he took time off to meditate, fast and praise the Lord. Avoiding distractions, he chose a nearby mountain for his venue.
On his way, he met women coming from a firewood fetching excursion. Seeing him unarmed, they enquired why he was heading to the mountain alone when lately a wild beast had been killing people.
“Oh ye of little faith,” he sighed inwardly. Smiling, he assured them he would be alright.
Minutes from his encounter with the women, his attention was attracted by a strange sound. He then saw a beast coming toward his direction, some 500 metres away.
This was far enough for him to bolt or call for help. Nonetheless, he nonchalantly proceeded. Wasn’t it written (Psalm 23:4) that “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,”?
As the distance between man and beast diminished, he noted that it was a lion. Despite this, he marched on. Envisioning himself as Daniel who spent a night in a lions’ den and lived to tell the tale, he stopped, knelt and prayed.
The lion pounced, knocking him to the ground. It was with utmost disbelief that he heard the lion whisper, “Bless us Lord and this Thy gift which we receive from Thy bountiful goodness.”
It then gormandised him.
You want to know the one man of God who would have behaved pragmatically?
It is Rev. John Chilembwe.
After observing how his people were suffering under the colonial yoke; his intervention was a mix of prayer and action. Real action.
Were Chilembwe with us today, being ravaged by Covid-19, public funds mismanaged and looted, corruption thriving and ineffectual ministers and advisors looking only after number one; he would have known that fasting and prayer without hard and timely decisions buttressed by action will not help Malawi.
That was Rev Chilembwe, when comes such another?
