Floods and death, yet a day of thanksgiving? How?

Some have said that the government of Ghana should have canceled the National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving. The reason? Are you kidding? Can't you"read the room." The recent floods that have destroyed homes, businesses, and livelihoods. At least ten people being confirmed dead? You haven't heard? It's heartbreaking, and my heart genuinely goes out to everyone who has been affected. But I kept thinking about the calls by some who have been devastated by these events and consumed by the loss they themselves or others have suffered, so much that a national day of prayer almost communicates that their pain is being overlooked.

But I kept thinking about it. Thinking about the fact that, in the middle of all this, Ghana still went ahead with the National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe that's actually the point. People will say it's a waste of time. Instead of gathering to pray, government officials should be in meetings discussing how to solve the problems that continue to plague this country. I don't disagree.

We should absolutely be having those meetings. I just don't see why the two can't happen at the same time. Ghana is a deeply religious country. Whether you're Christian, Muslim, or belong to another faith, many of us believe that there is a God who is present, who comforts, and who helps. So if there was ever a time to ask him to be present and comfort us, wouldn't it be now?

I'm a Christian, so I'll speak from that perspective. One thing Christianity has never promised is a life without storms. Christianity does not teach that difficult seasons cancel thanksgiving. Storms don't cancel prayer. Pain doesn't cancel praise. Loss doesn't cancel gratitude. That doesn't mean we ignore people's pain or pretend everything is okay. It doesn't mean we stop demanding better drainage systems, better planning, or better leadership. It simply means that as Christians, we don't wait until life is perfect before we thank God. If anything, this is the time to thank Him for the many lives that were preserved.

If your faith is anchored only when things are going well, then there’s a defect. God’s ways don’t have to make sense to you, but you do need to obey. So this is where we don’t let pain take away our gratitude as a country because there truly still is a lot to be grateful for.  For one day, maybe we can thank God instead of only bemoaning our losses. Not because those losses don't matter, but because there is still so much to be grateful for.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:14: "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Not everyone will understand this perspective, and that's okay. But certainly, if we had fainted in the day of affliction, our strength was little, indeed. 

God bless our homeland, Ghana.

Selah.