By Smart News Liberia
BREWERVILLE, MONTSERRADO COUNTY – Amid public controversy surrounding the national day of fast and prayer called by the President on July 30 for the peace of Liberia, Bishop Kortu Brown has weighed in, defending the relevance of prayer in national life and urging Liberians not to lose sight of their spiritual foundation.
Speaking during a Sunday worship service at the New Water in the Desert Assembly in Brewerville on August 3, Bishop Brown emphasized that prayer remains vital, regardless of the nation’s political or economic challenges. “There is nothing wrong with praying,” he declared, urging the public not to dismiss the practice because of frustrations with government performance.
In recent days, critics from both the general public and the religious community have expressed skepticism over the government’s sincerity in calling for prayer. Some have argued that national prayers are being used as a smokescreen to distract from economic hardship, poor governance, and a lack of concrete development efforts. Others suggest that government officials themselves often fail to participate meaningfully in such initiatives, opting instead for leisure or other non-spiritual activities.
Bishop Brown acknowledged the concerns but maintained that these shortcomings should not discredit the spiritual importance of public prayer. “As critical as the above observations might be, it still doesn’t negate the need and/or requirement for public prayer,” he said. “Liberia was founded on the pillar of prayer.”
He reminded the congregation that the Liberian Constitution itself reflects a spiritual foundation, noting that the Preamble expresses gratitude to God and acknowledges national reliance on divine guidance. “That means seeking God is a part of our constitutional obligation as a nation and a people,” he added.
The Bishop further proposed a more inclusive approach to future prayer observances, recommending that public servants be required to pray at work during designated times. “I pray in future that the Government will require people working in public service to go to office and pray there at designated schedules in order to make the prayer more inclusive and effective,” he said.
Still, he was clear in separating prayer from the duties of governance. “Prayer, however, is not an excuse for poor governance performance. It’s not a substitute for the government’s required performance on any national action such as the economy, education, health, reconciliation, etc. It’s an enablement.”
Quoting scripture, Bishop Brown said, “We’re called upon in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing and, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, to turn from our ‘wicked ways’ when we pray. There will be no national transformation without repentance or changing from the sad things that hold us back.”
He concluded with a heartfelt plea: “I pray Liberia, no matter what, will never cease to pray because there is nothing wrong with praying. We are a nation of faith!”
