OUR GREATEST REWARD IS SALVAGING LIBERIA
Father Ackerman rose in mild of un-authority ordered the scattered and shattered Liberia to cease fire and condense. “Say no to: gun, war, violence, rape, and discrimination, ethnic strive of Native and Americo Liberia. “That the love of liberty brought us here” or met us here by Dr. S. Malakpana is not the issue but to know, recognise, accept and respect Liberia-the land of liberty. CEASE FIRE LIBERIA here we come”.
There was a low rumbling of heavy sea-boats along the Free Port-Bong Mine Peer of Monrovia and a still slighter shuffling of ten factional rebel’s shoes… all was quiet again and every eye on the preacher.
He paused a little, kneeling in the pulpit’s bow, folded his back hands, closed his eyes and offered a prayer so deeply devout that he seemed kneeling and praying at the bottom of the deepest Coast of Africa (Liberia)
This ended in prolonged solemn tones, like the continual tolling of a bell in a ship flying Liberian flag, in such tones he commenced singing the following:
Gracious lord help us understand who we are
One people, one destiny and one n-a-t-i-o-n
Cease fire Liberia!
Our greatest Reward is salvaging Liberia (2 times)
Merciful lord help us tolerate our differences
One people, one destiny and one n-a-t-i-o-n
Cease fire Liberia!
Our greatest Reward is salvaging Liberia (2 times)
Nearly all joined in singing this song, which swelled high above the howling of the storm. A brief pause ensued; the preacher slowly turned over the leaves of the Bible and at last, folding his hand down upon the page, said: “Liberians! Turn with me quickly to the book of Jonah chapter four verses seventeen: “Now the lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah…”
My people, this book, containing only four chapters- four yarns- is one of the smallest strands in the mighty cable of the scriptures.
Yet what depths of the soul Jonah’s deep sea-line sound?
What a pregnant lesson to us is this prophet?
What a noble thing is that canticle in the fish’s belly?
How billow-like and boisterously grand?
We feel the floods surging over us, we sound with him to the dwell bottom of the waters; seaweed and all the slime of the sea about us, but what is the lesson that the book of Jonah teaches?
Liberians, it is a two-stranded lesson : a lesson to us all as sinful men and a lesson to Liberian leaders, pastors, evangelists, bloggers and teachers as a pilot of the living God.
As sinful men, it is a lesson to us all, because it is a story of the sin, hard-heartedness, suddenly awakened fears, the swift punishment, repentance, prayer, blogging and finally the deliverance and joy of Jonah. As with all sinners among men, the sin of this son of Amittai was in his wilful disobedience of the command of God … never mind now what command was or how conveyed … which he found as a hard command. But all things that God would have us do are hard for us to do – remember that. And hence He often commands us than endeavours to persuade. Then if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists.
While he was speaking these words, the howling of the shrieking, slanting storm added new power to the preacher, who, when describing Jonah’s sea-storm, seemed tossed by a storm himself. His deep chest heaved as with a ground-swell; his tossed arms seemed the warring elements at work. And the thunders that rolled away from off his swarthy brow and the light leaping from his eyes made his simple hearers look on him with a quick fear that was strange to them.
“Now behold Jonah taken up as an anchor and dropped into sea; when instantly an oily calmness floats out from the east and the sea is still, as Jonah carries down the gale with him, leaving smooth water behind.
He goes down in the whirling heart of such a master-less commotion that he scarce heeds the moment when he drops seeing into the yawning, jaws awaiting him. The whale shoots-to all his ivory teeth, like so many white bolts, upon his prison. Then Jonah prayed unto the lord out of the fish’s belly.
But observe his prayer, and learn a weighty lesson. For sinful as he is, Jonah does not weep and wail is just. He leaves all his deliverance to God, contenting himself with this, that spite of all his pains and pangs. He will still look toward His holy temple. And here, Liberians! Is true and faithful repentance; even how pleasing to God was this conduct in Jonah, is shown in the eventual deliverance of him from the sea and the whale.
My people, I do not place Jonah before you to be copied from his sin but I do place him before you as a model, for repentance. Sin not, but if you do, take heed to repent of it like Jonah.”
There now came a lull in his look, as he silently turned over the leaves of the book one more; at last standing motionless; with closed eyes, for the moment, seemed communing with God and himself.
“Then God spoke unto fish and from the shuddering cold and blackness of the sea, the whale came breeching up toward the warm and pleasant sun and all the delights of air and earth; and vomited out Jonah upon the dry land, when the word of the lord came second times.
And Jonah, bruising and beaten – his ears, like two sea shells still multitudinous of ocean, Jonah did the Almighty’s bidding.
What was that Liberians? Is just to preach and blog the truth.
Oh my people! That was it, is that other lesson.
Woe to the pilot of the living God who slights it.
Woe to him the world charms from gospel and blog.
Woe to him who seek to pour oil upon the waters, when God has brewed them into a gale.
Woe to him who would not be true, even though to be false were salvation.
Woe to him who as the great pilot, Paul has it, while preaching and blogging to others is cast away at the DAY OF THE LORD”.
He said no more, but slowly waving a benediction, covered his face with his hands and so remain kneeling, praying and blogging for the Republic of Liberia.
