Monrovia – Preacher man Rev. Kenety S. Gee is urging the President-elect, Mr. George Manneh Weah to do all during his administration, when he is inaugurated on Monday, January 22, as the next President of Liberia, to kill the “Goliath of corruption.”
According to Rev. Gee, who is also a medical doctor, corruption is one of the major plagues that have caused Liberia to be a backwater country for nearly two centuries.
Delivering the Sunday sermon at the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on 14th Street, Sinkor, the clergyman told his audience that one of the most difficult prayers in Scripture is the one Jesus prayed in Luke 22:42, when he said “…not my will but your (God’s) will be done.”
“In recent political events of our country, if many of us had our will, we will be planning the inauguration of another person and not the President-elect.
However, here Jesus teaches us that the will of God is bigger than our wills, and as the Prophet Isaiah put it, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9).
The Man of God narrated that in the Old Testament, when God was ready to choose the next leader for Israel, He sent the Prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint one of Jesse’s sons.
On arriving, Jesse brought forth his sons that he thought were the ones God wanted to lead at the time, even the prophet Samuel thought it was one of them as well. According to him, God said to them, “The Lord does not look at things man looks at. Man looks at the outward…but the Lord looks at the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7b).
When all of Jesse’s sons have been ruled out, the prophet asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse then admitted that the youngest one was out tending the sheep. That one, who apparently was not thought much of like the President-elect, was God’s anointed— David.
While tending the sheep, David’s character was being formed and he became strong. As a shepherd, David’s primary responsibility was to ensure that his flocks found pasture (food) each day and that they had water to drink.
In fulfilling that responsibility, David’s secondary responsibility was to protect his sheep from any form of danger in the jungle. As a shepherd, David must protect his flocks from lions, bears, snakes and any form of danger in wild.
“Dear Mr. President-elect, you are God’s anointed to lead our country at this point in our history. You are our Shepard. Our God does not make mistakes. As our shepherd, you have promised to celebrate us by forming ‘pro-poor public governance.’ You declared that ‘transforming the lives of all Liberians is your singular mission and focus of your presidency.’”
Rev. Gee told the congregation that anyone who has got a direct access to the President-elect, must tell him (Weah) that he (Gee) was preaching to remind him that to do this effectively, he must protect Liberians (the sheep) from the dangers of Liberia’s political jungle, which according to him includes “Lions of tribalism and regionalism.
Mr. President, please keep us away from the bears of nepotism and the snakes of sycophants. Your Excellency, please guide us away from the wolves of cronyism or ‘who knows you.’”
“As part of David’s initiation to ascend the throne of leadership, he had to deliver his people from an intimidating giant. The giant Goliath defied the people of God, thereby defying God himself, but David was the appointed one to kill Goliath as we know it today.
Mr. Weah as a clergy and a health care professional, I am urging you to please kill the Goliath of corruption in our land.
Your administration will struggle and fail if this giant remains an intimidating force in our country. Please slay this mammoth destroyer of our national economy and give Liberia back to Liberians. You will fail your own promise to us if you do not kill this giant call corruption.”
Rev. Gee said he likes the approach David took when he went to take on Goliath; “‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the Name of the Lord God Almighty…for the battle belongs to the Lord.’
This shepherd boy who was initially overlooked slayed a mighty giant in the name of God.
After David killed Goliath, there was song in the streets: ‘Saul has slain his thousand, and David, his tens of thousands.’”
The Lutheran prelate reminded the President-elect that before his election, there was a song in the streets; “‘You know book, you na know book, we will vote for you.’ In a few years, may we sing another song. Perhaps one that says, “He na know book but he developed our country.
He created jobs and made conditions conducive for the flourishing of our people, and may we sing the final stanza that says, he killed the Goliath of corruption.”
The Preacher man then concluded by praying fervently for Mr. Weah to succeed when he is inaugurated as President. In his prayer, he beseech God to grant President-elect much success; adding: “Because your success is Liberia’s success. God bless you.”