At separate watch night services on Saturday to usher in the new year, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia both expressed optimism about the economic outlook of the country in 2023.
While President Akufo-Addo urges Ghanaians to combine unity and hard work to restore the country to the path of prosperity this year, Dr Bawumia asks the people to trust in the strength of God and work hard to bring the economy back on track.
Then on Sunday, various ministers of God expressed optimism of God’s intervention in the socio-economic development of the country this year, urging Christians to continue to seek the face of God in that direction.
The clergy were upbeat that this year would be a good one for the country despite predictions of major economic recession across the world.
All the messages delivered on both Saturday and Sunday, whether by the clergy or others like politicians, emphasized the need for the strength of God and human efforts to restore the country’s economy to prosperity.
This is important because even though humans are made to chart a path for their socio-economic progress, certain challenges are able to defy their efforts and God’s intervention should be sought as to how to tackle the situation.
This makes it significant a remark by Alhaji Bawumia that we can do everything humanly possible to enable us to stay afloat, but those who forget God and face the battle on their own cannot succeed.
Ghanaians are religious and so matters relating to the spiritual do not sound strange to them, but the truth is that most of us present ourselves as people of godliness but deny the power thereof, according to 2 Timothy 3:5.
That means that most of us consign to the trash the instructions of God regarding all aspects of our lives such as hard work, honesty, faithfulness and other good work ethics and employ our own ways to do things, which in the end bring hardship to the people, especially the vulnerable.
No wonder Reverend Father Reginald Lawson of the Accra Ridge Church insists that a number of the problems of 2022 were “self-inflicted.”
Some of the problems we faced such as the diarrhoeal depreciation of the cedi against the dollar and skyrocketing prices of goods and services were partly, if not wholly, the results of the speculations of some selfish people, most among them Christians.
Christians, Muslims and other worshippers of God are the hope of the nation, so they all should wean themselves of the vices they indulge in such as bribery and corruption, profiteering, dishonesty and unfaithfulness in their economic dealings and at their various workplaces.
If they do not, the prophesies would be said, the IMF assistance would come and the best of plans would be adopted, yet the socio-economic situation ahead would be worse.
In fact, God, since ancient times, has provided the blueprint for human success; it is only up to us to live by His word and do the needful as a way of positioning ourselves for prosperity and progress.
The year 2023 can be a successful one only if we can amend our ways by being God-fearing and working hard rather than being selfish by siphoning resources we have not worked for.
Happy and Prosperous New Year characterised by the fear of God and hard work!!
