The President of Tanzania issued a three day call of prayer last weekend to ask for “the intercession of the Most High against the new coronavirus.”.
“Tanzanian compatriots, because of the pandemic, I urge you to use these three days, from April 17 to April 19, to pray God for His protection and healing,” tweeted President John Pombe Magufuli
Unlike other East African nations, Tanzania has not imposed travel restrictions or closed its borders, but has closed schools and suspended social gatherings. Churches and mosques in Tanzania, however, have remaind open.
As of 21 April 2020 Tanzania has reported 254 cases with 10 deaths attributed to the virus since the first case was reported on 16 March. Health Minister Ummy Mwalimutold reports the cases were centered in Dar es Salaam, in the city of Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria and in northern Kilimanjaro.
Anglican churches have remained open throughout the pandemic, and sources report the majority of congregations have adopted social distancing and eliminated a common communion cup.
The Rt. Rev. Godfrey Sehaba of Morogoro told the Guardian newspaper he had asked his diocese to commit to three days of fasting and prayer in response to the president’s proclamations. Prayer was a powerful weapon in the believer’s arsenal to combat the virus, he said. “If you read the Bible you will discover that most people were saved from their sins through fasting and prayer.”
I’m glad to hear of the President issuing this call for prayer and wish leaders in the UK would do the same. I’m not sure if it’s a call to a very universal idea of God or not though.
I’m very uncomfortable with the last line from Bishop Sehaba in the last paragraph however. Perhaps he has been misquoted or badly translated but nobody is saved from their sins by prayer and fasting notwithstanding the value of those activities. Rather we are saved through the precious blood of Jesus Christ on the cross and his atoning sacrifice!
Considering the paper I’d suggest the reporter has the quotation marks right but the context wrong. I’m guessing the bishop was probably trying to make a point of prayer and fasting as an act of repentance. Would that work?
Of course that would make all the difference Crannog. Wasn’t trying to be the doctrine police but just thought the comment looked very odd