Bishop MacDavid David, is the Senior Pastor of House of Grace Mission, Graceland Avenue, Bucknor Estate, Ejigbo, Lagos. He is also the President of MacDavid C. Ministries International. In this interview with INNOCENT OKONKWO, he speaks on the state of the nation especially the current insecurity in some parts of the North. He also proffers solution to other challenges facing the country at the moment.
TNE: In view of the current state of the nation, what message do you have for the citizens?
My message to Nigerians is that we should not look unto any man but unto God. It is true that President Muhammadu Buhari is in power and we see him as the man in charge of the affairs of Nigeria but until Nigerians make a decision to come back to God, help won’t come. King David said, ‘I look up to the hills, where comes my help.’ Our help is not coming from any man; our help is coming from God.
Man is bound to make mistakes, man is bound to fail but the only person that won’t fail is God. Aso Rock cannot help us, what will help us is the Rock of Ages, and he will help us when we look onto him. In Psalm 25: 15, David said, ‘My eyes are ever towards the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.’ Solution to the national problems is in God and not in man.
Look at what is happening across the country, the masses are suffering and there is hunger everywhere. People are starving and I am appealing to the Federal Government to rise to the occasion and lessen the biting hardship across the nation. But I also want to believe that God is going to give us the right set of leaders in his own time.
Nigerians don’t need rulers, what we need are leaders. Nigeria needs a leader who can take this country to where God wants it to be. I am praying seriously about this.
TNE: What is your take on the incessant bloodshed in some parts of the North?
I think they know what they are doing because till date, we have not heard any solution to the problem or how to stop the killing from the government. I don’t know what to say but my take is that they know what they are doing. It is only God that will deliver us in this country.
I am calling on Christians to take a stand and pray like we have never prayed before. The killing has been constant, from Kaduna to other parts of the nation. Unfortunately, some of the clerics who tried to talk about this issue were arrested. There are highly placed individuals in the society that are involved in this crisis. I don’t want to believe that some people are playing politics with this problem.
I pray every day and ask God to help this country overcome all these challenges, whatever we are going through today is a story for tomorrow; Nigeria will be better tomorrow if we can unite in prayer and seek the presence of God.
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TNE: What kind of leaders are you urging God to give to Nigeria?
I have said that we don’t need a ruler, we need a leader, and there is a big difference between rulers and leaders. When Saul was leading the people of Israel, he was a ruler, at a point God decided to replace him with David. When David ascended the throne things changed. There is a part of the scripture that says, ‘when the righteous man sits on the throne, the people rejoice.’
So I believe if God gives us a leader, a fearless individual that can sit on the throne and call the spade a spade, things will change for better, he may not be a Christian or Muslim. This is the type of person we need in this nation to progress.
TNE: Why did you organize the annual ‘WAZOBIA Praise Night’ when many people are not happy as a result of present difficulties across the land?
God told me to organize a praise service in different languages so that we can celebrate him. We fixed it for Good Friday, we as Christians believe that it was on the Good Friday that Jesus died. I believe that if you give God praise, he will raise you. I told the people that we should come together to celebrate the death of Jesus because if he didn’t die on the cross, we would not be where we are today as Christians.
The event is all about praising God. When the leper came to Jesus, the bible says that he worshipped him, although he had leprosy, he worshipped Jesus. I believe that it was that worship that moved Jesus who then spoke a word to him and the leper received his total healing.
Again, I thought about a king who was having his birthday celebration and asked a young girl to dance. The young girl danced and the king told her to make her request even to the half of his kingdom since she could dance and make him happy. So if this girl could dance to please the king, what then happens when we dance and please God? When God is happy with us he will grant our requests.
TNE: How would you react to the controversies surrounding some church leaders nowadays especially on the issues of tithes and offering?
I was sharing with a pastor recently on the Facebook and he was arguing about certain things including tithe, and I asked him if he had ever seen any Muslim that comes out openly to speak against any of their Islamic doctrines. Then I asked him why it is only in Christendom that the controversies about teachings and doctrines are emanating from. Why is it that in Christendom you see such things happening?
So, there is a problem in Christendom but as I have said, only God can intervene and bring about the solution, The bible says, ’ if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land. I believe that the solution is in God so we should come back to him.
TNE: So what should be your counsel to the leaders and the led?
I am calling on every one of us to come back to God. We must pray, if there is any time that Nigerians need to pray, it is now. When God decided to destroy the city of Nineveh, he instructed the Prophet Jonah to warn the inhabitants. The bible recorded that the people cried before God in repentance and God heard their prayers; such can happen in this country, if the citizens can come together and pray, God will hear our cry and save this country.