Snowe’s Prayer on ‘National Prayer Day’ -Writes God on Litany of National Political Issues

MONROVIA – Whether it is meant for sarcasm, comedy or for spiritual revival and moral purpose, Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe has favorably reacted to the President Joseph Boakai’s controversial National Day of Prayer with a letter addressed to God – a letter clearly smelling with what some would call raw politics or something others may see as serious real-time malaises facing the Country. He prayed for the nation, and all its human and geographic cleavages, as The Analyst reports.   

While others are hurting their heads on the radio, and on the social media, with the debate of whether or not it is the right and authority of President Joseph Boakai to singlehandedly declare a national holiday, which he called “national day prayer”, the Senator of Bomi County, for his part, has chosen to go ahead heeding the presidential edict, and like the Pharisees would do (Matthew 6:5-8), he is not keeping his prayer private. He has spread it in the public glare.

“Dear God; are you up there? Are you listening anymore?” he began almost sounding hilarious.

“Today, we pause as a nation. Not just in silence, but in surrender. We come to You, dear God, humbly, as Your children, citizens of this land of liberty, lifting our voices not out of ritual, but from the deep yearning of our hearts.”

He continued: “Thank You, God for sparing Liberia. Through war, through disease, through despair—we are still here. God, by your grace we are still standing. This is not because of who we are, but because of who You are: faithful, patient, and merciful. And so on this National Day of Prayer, declared by the President of the Republic, we return to You, O God as a nation in need of healing, of genuine reconciliation, and of direction”.

His first request was for the motherland, all its tribes and provinces.

He stated: “O Lord, we pray first for our country Liberia. We pray that this nation will not be remembered for what it has survived, but for what it is becoming—a nation reborn in hope and justice. We pray for every county, every tribe, every language. Let peace flow like our rivers. Let justice be more than a slogan. Let Your Spirit hover over this land from Bomi, Cape Mount, and Gbarpolu to Bong and from Maryland to Montserrado. We pray for the soul of our nation—where division has become normal, we ask for unity; where distrust rules, let truth lead.”

Then it was the term of the nation’s president, Boakai and other prominent citizens.

Offering prayers for the president, and then former presidents of the country, Snowe said: “Father, we lift up our President, H.E. Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., into Your Arms. May You strengthen him daily, lead him in wisdom, and give him a heart of a true Father to this Nation. We ask especially that You give him the grace to forgive, and to act on that forgiveness—not just in words, but in deeds. We pray that he will take the bold step to work with the former Presidents, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and George Manneh Weah, Madam Jewel Taylor, Fonati Koffa as well as political leaders like Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, Mr. Benoni Urey, and others who have served and continue to care deeply about the destiny of Liberia. We also pray from the depths of our hearts that President Boakai will find it in his heart to forgive his former aide-de-camp, Mr. Tarnue Kesselly who served him during his six years in opposition and who was that strong and smart security who held the President up during the heat exhaustion till others joined hands during the deliverance of his inaugural address. Sometimes reconciliation begins with those closest to us. Lord, touch his heart. Let Liberia become the example of forgiveness and unity that the world talks about.”

He continued with his prayer targeting religious bodies and their standing in the country, and the place of reconciliation in national healing.

“God, we ask that genuine reconciliation sweep across our country. From our Churches and Mosques to our counties, from the halls of the Capitol to the communities broken by the past and at times our current actions and inactions,” he said.

“We pray that reconciliation will not be political theatre, but national healing. May Your Spirit help us confront the past, not with bitterness, but with boldness. Not to erase it, but to learn from it and rise beyond it. Let us, both government and people, move beyond apologies to action. We echo the call for a standing National Commission on Reconciliation—not just to remember, but to rebuild. Help us lay down our swords, silence our tribalism, and political affiliations, and embrace each other as Liberians.”

Next was the ruling Unity Party Government. He implored God: “We lift up our ruling establishment—those entrusted with power today. Remind them that in a multiparty democracy, power is not possession, it is responsibility. Give them the humility to understand that the Constitution recognizes the ruling party, the opposition, and independent voices. And they are all Liberians. May they not see dissent as disloyalty. May the government no longer use its platforms to misrepresent or demonize the opposition. Let the President and his officials show courage—not only in celebrating success, but in admitting when they fall short. A government that confesses is a government that progresses.”

Snowe’s supplications did not leave out the Vice President and the National Legislature. “We pray for our Vice President, our Speaker, and the entire Legislature—my colleagues Senators and Representatives.

“Lord, help us never forget the people who elected us. Let us legislate not for ourselves, but for the progress of our people. Let us not be consumed by party lines, but by the cries of the market women, the students, the disabled, and the elderly. May integrity return to our chambers, and may service return to our lawmaking. We also pray for our Chief Justice as she goes into retirement may You O Lord give her good health and peace. O God, we pray for the incoming Chief Justice and the entire Judiciary that they will dispense justice without fear, intimidation, or favor but that the Law should be the Law.”

The general populace

The Bomi lawmaker also prayed for peace and security and for the disadvantaged people.

Here is how he put it: “God, we pray for peace and security in this nation. As drugs poison our youth and crime rises in our streets, we ask for Your divine intervention. Send wisdom to our security forces, send compassion to our communities, send opportunity to our young people. Let Liberia never again return to war—not with bullets, nor with hate speech, nor with political violence. Give us peace—not as the world gives—but a peace rooted in justice, in dignity, and love for country.

“We pray too for development—not only in promises, but in pavement. Lord, touch the hearts of those responsible for infrastructure. May the reconstruction of the Montserrado-Bomi Highway begin. Our people deserve better. That road is not just a project—it is a symbol of connection, access, and dignity. Let this become a priority not just for Bomi, Cape Mount, and Gbarpolu, but for the Republic and beyond as was demonstrated when President Maada Bio drove on it in such deplorable condition during the Independence Celebrations of our nation.”

Then finally Senator Snowe said to God: “Lastly, Lord, we pray for ourselves—the opposition. May we not be known for bitterness, but for bold ideas. Let us be guided by truth, not just by ambition. Let us work with the government not as enemies, but as citizens with different roles. Help us hold them accountable without tearing down the nation. Let our speeches heal more than they hurt. May we oppose policies, not people. And may we prove to the nation that patriotism is not defined by where you sit, but by how you serve.

“Lord, we bring this prayer to You not as politicians, not as partisans, but as Liberians. We have no other country. This is our land, our burden, and our blessing. May this Day of Prayer not pass like just another date on the calendar, but mark a turning point in our national story. Today, we surrender pride, bitterness, ego, and fear. We lay down our weapons—physical and verbal. We ask for Your light to guide us, Your mercy to cover us, and Your grace to carry us forward.

“Amen.”