This vice has a couple of sayings around it. Top off my head is “Everyone for himself and God for us all”
I see ‘Self-preservation’ in my society everywhere I turn, including inwards.
Self-Preservation says:
“As long as I am ok/safe, I am not very concerned about my neighbor”
“As long as the people I care about are safe, the rest can perish for all I care”
“As long as I . . . I don’t care about . . .
TITLE: Kenya National Anthem – A Prayer for Kenya
TEXT: Jeremiah 29:1-14, 1 Peter 2:11-16, Kenya National Anthem
Welcome to the #18daychallenge movement.
This is a movement committed to take 18 days to pray for Kenya in the words of the Kenya National Anthem using the KENYA NATIONAL ANTHEM DEVOTIONAL.
I know what you are thinking, the Anthem has 18 lines? Yes, it does. 18 lines to one of the most well thought, well articulated and potent prayers I have ever come across. And guess what, it is Kenyan through and through!
For many Kenyans the Kenyan National Anthem was introduced to us as law, as a compulsory component of the syllabus. We were taught to sing it since lower Primary School all through every education institution at the raising and sometimes at the lowering of the Kenyan flag. Not because we like the anthem, not because we even understood the anthem; but mostly because we did not have a choice.
Allow to reintroduce the Kenya National Anthem to you.
This Anthem is many things but for now I will let us in on two: It is a symbol of unity and it is a prayer.
The Kenya National Anthem is a symbol of unity. We only have one National Anthem for every tribe, every county, every individual in Kenya. When we sing it with pride, mostly during sporting events, we all sing one anthem. It brings us together, it binds us together.
Second and most important the Kenya National Anthem is a prayer, yes a prayer. If you sit down with the composers of the Anthem, yous see it shining in their eyes. The passion they have for the Anthem, and how sacred they hold it. How important they deem it, how precious they perceive it.
The Kenya National Anthem is a prayer. And the first line sets that out, just incase you are in doubt:
O God of all creation
We begin this potent prayer by raising our eyes up, our voices high to the God of all creation.
My challenge to you today, look for the words of the Kenya National Anthem, read through them slowly, reflectively. Then learn those words by heart: all three verses, the entire 18 lines. And next time you have an opportunity to sing the Anthem, pray through it. Pray to the God of all creation.
This is just the beginning of a journey for us as Kenyans, a journey of prayer, a journey to patriotism and nationalism.
Welcome to the a conscious singing of the Kenya National Anthem using the KENYA NATIONAL ANTHEM DEVOTIONAL.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7)
The past few months have been a roller coaster ride for me. I started blogging, met and made wonderful new friends. Did my first series on the blog. Turned the series into an Ebook, then published it. And launched the book By God’s grace. It has been one ride: lots of mistakes, lots of lessons learnt.
One of those lessons that I have learnt and failed miserably at is the Grace of silence. Especially in the face of negative people, criticism and continuous setbacks. I look at Jesus the perfecter of my faith when He was being unfairly tried because of my sins and I fall down to repent and surrender. Because in all honesty, I doubt my ‘trials and tribulations’ are anything close to what my Lord suffered. So I pray, and practice the grace of silence
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. | Proverbs 12:18
The easy route of vengeance and rashing out is one I have many a times traveled on: regrettably so.
So I pray for myself and for those like me who are tempted and fall into the temptation of self defence using the tongue. For those like me who are not able to confront the negative, jealous, critics in their lives and so they turn to family and friends for ‘debrief sessions’ which are for all intents and purposes gossips parties. And I ask that the Father would help me and help us to walk in the path of our Lord. To know, to live and to practice the grace of silence.
Prayer:
Father, you know me all too well. You know my weakness especially when it comes to my tongue. Father, would you please have mercy on me for the numerous occasions I have let you down by not practicing the grace of silence. Help me Father to bring this little member of my body, the tongue, that has been known to bring you both honor and reproach. Have mercy upon me Father. Teach me by the Holy Spirit to be silence and graciously silent while at it. In Jesus Name I pray. AMEN
Yes, I am author now ???!!!!
See the grace of God at work.
I have published my first series that I ever did on the blog (you’d think I have been blogging for a century and have a similar number of series’s ??)
The series I have published is on the Kenya National Anthem. It is a verse by verse, line by line devotional with study questions that seeks to dig deeper into the prayer that is our national anthem.
To say that I am excited is an understatement, I am elated, I am over the roof but I am also exhausted.
No-one warned me that there is a difference between blogging and publishing, transiting from the web into paper is not an easy safari. But it is one that has been both a learning experience and a stretching trip.
In a few days time the book will be available for sale. In the meantime you can pre-order your copy/s today here.
And would you believe it, I have already sold three copies ???. There are people who have a lot of faith in me, clearly.
Let’s do this!
PS: In the next couple of days I will be letting you in on a few things inside the book, including what people have said.
Joyce Mwangi
Author – Kenya National Anthem, Devotional
Source: www.dayspring.com
Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-22)
O God of all creation, fill our hearts with thanksgiving. This is the last line of the Kenyan National Anthem, the beautiful prayer that we sing many a times without paying much attention to the words therein. The glory of Kenya, the fruit of our labour fill every heart with thanksgiving. Are our hearts as Kenyans filled with thanksgiving? Are we rejoicing always? Are we praying constantly?
Are we holding fast to what is good? Are we quenching the Spirit? Are we despising prophesy? Are we holding fast to what is good? Are we abstaining every from of evil?
It’s reflection time Kenyans, especially those of the household of faith. As we sing the Kenya National Anthem, let us never forget that we are praying to our God, the God of all creation. And every line we utter, every word in this anthem is directed to Him. He hears, He answers and may He fill our hearts with thanksgiving in all circumstances.
Prayer:
O God of all creation, thank you for the land of Kenya. Thank you for the people of Kenya. Thank you for the heritage of Kenya. Thank you Father for your mercy and kindness that you have continued to show to us despite our continued failure, outright disobedience and distancing from you. Father, have mercy on us and in that mercy through your Son Jesus Christ draw us back to Yourself. In Jesus Name, Amen!
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (John 1:14)
O God of all creation thank you for the people of Kenya, the glory of this nation. Kenya is known worldwide for athletics: there is no moment Kenyans are united as when they are supporting our athletes. The nation stands still as we cheer our men and women on the tracks and in the fields, its amazing. Not once have I found myself literally standing next to the Television, sometimes even touching it, as I urge my countrymen and women to finish and win the race.
The Only Begotten Son of God became flesh and dwelt amongst us. John writes that they beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son of God. It doesn’t mean Jesus was always shining or glaring in light but His life and speech exuded majesty, beauty, and honor. He was different, He represented a different Kingdom: and with every breathe He was true to His calling. We the people of the nation of Kenya are the glory of Kenya: not just by our mere existence but by own allegiance, our life, out conduct, our speech. When these are in line with honoring God who gave us this nation then we epitomize the meaning of this prayer line in the Kenya National Anthem.
Prayer:
O God of all creation, thank you for the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ. In Him and through Him we learn and are enabled to live honorably. We learn and are enabled to be the glory of the land of Kenya. We learn and are enabled to propagate honor. Father, help us to appropriate these and other benefits that flow from the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Image Source: Trueafrica
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain. (Psalm 127:1)
O God of all creation, build this our nation of Kenya. Unless the Lord builds our nation, all our efforts will be in vain. Our nation is currently being rundown by corruption from the ruling class, apathy from the middle class and hopelessness from the poor. At the same time each category is trying to build a safe cocoon for themselves, individual mostly, from the effects of the decisions of the others. However, simple logic tells us that is a journey in futility. We are one, our decisions affect each other.
That’s why we sing and pray in the Kenya National Anthem, that let one and all arise, in one accord, in common bond united and let us build this our nation together! Not selfishly, not individually, but together. And the beginning of that journey is to acknowledge that unless God builds this nation for us, all our labour will be in vain; unless God watches over our nation, all our defense plans fall flat. God builds, God sustains and we must chose to work with Him to build our nation of Kenya.
Prayer
O God of all creation, build this our nation of Kenya. Build and protect our nation. Honestly Father, we have tried and all our efforts have been in vain; at worst they have served our selfish ambitions leaving a large mass of citizens out in the cold. Our efforts have resulted in destruction of the environment and this does not honor you. Father, forgive us and help us one and all to arise in common bond united and together with you build this our nation of Kenya: the people, the values and the land. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Image Source: azredbook
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12-14)
O God of all creation, help us to rise up with one accord in common bond united. Our common bond is love, it binds everything together in perfect harmony. Love gels the different members of the Body of Christ regardless of the tribe, gender, race, age, language or even physical features. That is why we are encouraged in Colossians that above all the virtues described above, we are to put on love.
Love binds us together, love keep us together. Therefore when we sing the Kenya National Anthem and arrive at this line, we should not wander in the darkness looking for the ‘common bond’. It is love, it will always be love. And love is exemplified in God giving His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Love reads as sacrifice, it reads laying down one’s selfish ambition, one’s self, one’s desire for another. Let us rise up in one accord, united in the common bond of love.
Prayer:
O God of all creation, let us all in one accord with the common bond of love stand. Father, thank you for the greatest gift of all your dear Son Jesus Christ. In giving Him you have taught us what is love, the virtue of love that is above all virtues and is the common bond that unites us. Father, fill our hearts with love, Your love – Your selfless, sacrificial giving kind of love. and let that love be and become our common bond. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Image Source: 123rf.com
May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6)
O God of all creation, help us to all be in one accord. The ‘Kiondo’ is one work of art that is well known by Kenyans regardless of their tribe or geographical location. Different tribes have their own unique style of the ‘Kiondo’. One the most outstanding elements of the ‘Kiondo’ is how the cords – be they leather, sisal, plastic bag or woolen strings – come together in one accord to form a beautiful piece of art. These cords are strung tight in cords together and their unity produces the ‘Kiondo’ – on their own each of the cords would really not be called a ‘Kiondo’.
When we sing the Kenya National Anthem and shout aloud the clarion call ‘let all with one accord’ we are still in prayer. It is only God who can bring us into one accord, we cannot possibly be able to do it on our own. And this accord is only found in Christ Jesus, Him who died for us to reconcile us to God. In Him we are united, in Him we stand in one accord: especially when we partake in the Lord’s table, as we eat the bread and drink the wine, we are one! Important to never forget, the one accord for the ultimate glory of God the Father.
Prayer:
O God of all creation, thank you for making a way for us to be in one accord – the gift of your Son Jesus Christ. Who through His life, death and resurrection has made a way to you Father and a way to bring us all as your children into one accord. Father, help your children, especially in this nation of Kenya to be in one accord as you desire. In Jesus Name, Amen