The views expressed herein are solely those of the writer.
By: Jamel Providence
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has long been called the “Land of the Blessed”. From our emerald hills to our sapphire shores, this name has been more than a slogan; it has been a testimony. A testimony of God’s grace through hurricanes, a volcanic eruption, a global pandemic, and countless personal storms. We have, by His mercy, weathered them all.
We are a nation that boldly proclaims Christ. Our churches dot the landscape, our hymns and choruses fill the airwaves, and our lips speak His name. Yet, a troubling disconnect has emerged. We desire the power, peace, and protection of Christ, but we have grown hesitant, even afraid, of the very disciplines He mandated to access that divine strength. We want the resurrection power, but we have abandoned the garden of prayer and the wilderness of fasting.
In the Gospel of Matthew, the disciples asked Jesus why they could not drive out a demonic spirit. His reply was piercingly simple: “Because of your unbelief… However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:20-21, NKJV). Here, Christ identifies a profound spiritual truth: some strongholds, some generational curses, some national ailments, are so entrenched they require the focused, fortified faith that is forged only in the furnace of prayer and fasting.
Our Land of the Blessed Today.
I am of the strong opinion that our young people, the future of our blessed nation, are under direct spiritual attack. Through the addictive rhythms of ungodly music and the dark portals of handheld devices, demons of promiscuity, rebellion, and sloth have launched a siege. Respect for elders erodes, classrooms are empty, and a spirit of laziness and sexual immorality is paraded as liberation. This is not merely a social trend; it is a spiritual battle. As it was in the days of the prophets, so it is now: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34). Scripture records how nations like Sodom, Gomorrah, and even God’s own Israel faced devastation when they turned from His ways (Jeremiah 18:7-10).
But here is the hope that burns brighter than any warning: God’s heart is ever turned toward deliverance. The same prophet who proclaimed judgement also cried, “Return to Me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7), and “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 will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Our Lord Jesus Christ, our perfect example, did not ask us to walk a path He avoided. Before launching His ministry, He fasted for forty days and nights (Matthew 4:2). Before choosing His disciples, He prayed through the night (Luke 6:12). In His humanity, He needed and depended on these sacred disciplines. How much more do we?
Therefore, the call is clear and urgent: we must shed our fear of prayer and fasting. We must come back to our knees, not as a ritual, but as a nation desperate for revival. We must approach the altar not with reluctance, but with the expectation of the God who delivered us from Soufrière’s fury, COVID-19’s shadow and Beryl’s devastation. He can and will deliver us again from spiritual decay, from moral collapse, and from the forces seeking to steal the souls of our youth.
This is a personal invitation to you.
Whether you have never prayed and fasted a day in your life, whether you started but quickly gave up, whether you feel you don’t know how, or you simply need a guide to support you, you are not alone. To aid every seeking heart, I have compiled a practical, step-by-step guide: “Revive Us Again: A Beginner-Friendly guide to Prayer and Fasting.”
This booklet is a tool for our nation. It is a map back to the altar. It is an offering of hope, designed to demystify these spiritual disciplines and equip every believer, from the youngest to the oldest to stand in the gap for our families and our nation.
The great evangelist Leonard Ravenhill once said, “A man who is intimate with God will never be intimidated by men.” And it is through prayer and fasting that we cultivate that intimacy. It is there we trade our weakness for His strength, our fear for His faith, and our despair for His deliverance.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Land of the Blessed: our legacy of blessing is waiting to be reclaimed. It begins not in Parliament, but on our knees. Not with louder complaints, but with humble fasting. Let us rise in prayer. Let us return to the altar, and together, cry out, “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” (Psalm 85:6).
For your free copy of “Revive Us Again”, please click the link, https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:86e55052-2823-4730-a97b-393eeea36a37
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