You have never known a better definition of prayer gone wrong until you hear how a Camerounian soccer enthusiast, Clement Toh, prayed. His prayer followed the ankle injury sustained by Neymar, the Brazillian striker. Fearing what might happen when Cameroun squares up with Brazil, he put this down: “I may look like a bad person but may the God of Isaac, Jacob, Abraham, David and Goliath keep this Neymar’s injury permanent till after Cameroon match against them. Amen.” In another stroke, he prayed, “My fada, my fada, may he fall sick , may his wife and family call him to come back home. I decree and declare confusion in their camp send down fire to consume the feets of all their strikers … raarrrrrrr . Ijn amen”.
“In reality, prayer should bring edification, align you with God’s will, and promote the welfare of others. Outside of these, any claim we make of prayer is a waste of time.”
Two things are striking in this so-called prayer. First, there was ignorance. Imagine that he was praying to the God of “Isaac, Jacob, Abraham, David and Goliath”! Since when did the patriarchs share the same God with Goliath? Secondly, there was malice written all over his prayer. Wishing evil to others to score an advantage does not fit into what the Bible teaches. This fits into what James labelled praying amiss. What Clement Toh did was nothing but witchcraft. Unfortunately, this is the model of prayer that many people have adopted, particularly in Africa. In reality, prayer should bring edification, align you with God’s will, and promote the welfare of others. Outside of these, any claim we make of prayer is a waste of time.