At a young age, I was my mom’s principal assistant. This meant being sent on errands outside the house, and nearly every time, I’d return home after dark. Our area was newly settled, sparsely populated, and surrounded by dense bushes. Traveling back and forth, even during the day, was terrifying. At night, it was worse, but even during the day, stray dogs from neighbors roamed the streets.
Sensing my fear and reluctance to run errands, and with no other choice, my mom came up with what I now recognize was a genius idea. She taught me a song to sing as I walked alone, day or night. The lyrics were simple yet powerful: “Jesus will walk with me, Jesus will take me home with His blood, Jesus will be with me because He is the rock.” I repeated these words, and over time, I don’t even remember when the fear disappeared!
This method of prayer proved very effective later in my schooling during final exam times, especially the big three exams for a Kenyan child at that time: CPE, KCSE, and KACSE. My prayer during these times was, “Lord, give me the energy to study, help me remember what I have studied, and keep sleep away during study time.” Throughout my school life, I struggled with sleepiness. Yet, I achieved the most success in my life during the periods that I prayed.
Embracing Action Alongside Prayer
While prayer gave me the courage and strength to face my fears and challenges, it also taught me an invaluable lesson: faith must be coupled with action. Singing my mom’s song made me brave, but it was my feet that carried me home. My prayers during exam time kept me focused, but it was my studying that earned my grades.
Kenya, a nation rich in faith, often relies heavily on prayer to solve its problems. Yet, as much as prayer is a source of strength and comfort, it is action that ultimately brings about change. We pray for rain, but we must also invest in irrigation. We pray for health, but we must also build hospitals and train healthcare workers. We pray for peace, but we must also create effective law enforcement and community policing.
From Prayer to Practicality
Imagine the transformation if we balanced our spiritual fervor with practical efforts. The energy and time spent praying for jobs could be redirected towards creating entrepreneurial ventures, developing vocational skills, and fostering innovation. By embracing a proactive approach, we can build a future where our prayers are not just words but are manifested through our actions.
A New Dawn for Kenya
Let us honor our faith by turning our prayers into plans, our hopes into strategies, and our dreams into realities. Together, we can create a Kenya where prayers inspire us to take action, where our faith fuels our determination, and where our collective efforts lead to a brighter, more prosperous future for all.
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