We used to kneel down to pray.
These days we stand erect, if we are not frantically pacing up and down the
isles or rocking from foot to foot in the spaces between the pews.
We used to close our eyes in prayer. These days we stare up at God in the heavens, if we are not looking at the pastor's commotion at the front of the church or reading fanciful prayers scrolling down multi-coloured 3D PowerPoints.
We used to put our hands together when praying. These days we thrust them heavenward, wave at the angels, lay them on shoulders of the strangers next to us, or touch a body-part instructed to us by the leader.
We used to listen quietly to one person interceding loudly so that we all agreed with an Amen at the end. These days everyone simultaneously shouts their intercessions for different things in babel mode. It hurts the head to pray in church sometimes because the microphones each have people shouting different loudness into them as if there is no recognition it is a microphone amplified through powerful speakers.
We used to pray with faith and hope for an answer within God's timing. These days we pay pastors to say a prayer for us and they prophesy instant deceitful solutions to our itching ears.
We use to pray with love for blessings upon people after repenting for our sins. These days we pray to God to curse those who harm us, after speaking prosperity and untold personal victories into our lives.
We used to whisper and groan and cry out to God to intervene in difficult situations of our lives. We used to quote his scripture back to him as we reminded him of his promises. These days we shandaramamaye-ohoi- shandaramamaye and loudly proclaim the buzz-words of television evangelists.
We used to pray to move mountains. These days we perform at something other than prayer.
We used to close our eyes in prayer. These days we stare up at God in the heavens, if we are not looking at the pastor's commotion at the front of the church or reading fanciful prayers scrolling down multi-coloured 3D PowerPoints.
We used to put our hands together when praying. These days we thrust them heavenward, wave at the angels, lay them on shoulders of the strangers next to us, or touch a body-part instructed to us by the leader.
We used to listen quietly to one person interceding loudly so that we all agreed with an Amen at the end. These days everyone simultaneously shouts their intercessions for different things in babel mode. It hurts the head to pray in church sometimes because the microphones each have people shouting different loudness into them as if there is no recognition it is a microphone amplified through powerful speakers.
We used to pray with faith and hope for an answer within God's timing. These days we pay pastors to say a prayer for us and they prophesy instant deceitful solutions to our itching ears.
We use to pray with love for blessings upon people after repenting for our sins. These days we pray to God to curse those who harm us, after speaking prosperity and untold personal victories into our lives.
We used to whisper and groan and cry out to God to intervene in difficult situations of our lives. We used to quote his scripture back to him as we reminded him of his promises. These days we shandaramamaye-ohoi- shandaramamaye and loudly proclaim the buzz-words of television evangelists.
We used to pray to move mountains. These days we perform at something other than prayer.
Stella Nyanzi
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