Scores of clerics and other participants in this year’s edition of Hear My Cry Oh Lord revival programme have lauded God’s interventions in people’s life challenges as well as the acute hardship and diverse crises bedeviling the nation.
They also expressed delight that were it not for God’s loving kindness towards the people, the difficulties that they had been facing would have degenerated to a more alarming proportion.
This was disclosed in a statement by the convener of the programme, Rev (Mrs) Ronke Akeredolu.
During the programme, they prayed to God to deliver the country from the current hardship.
Akeredolu, the visioneer of the programme, gave details of this year’s event that took place recently at Foursquare Gospel Church, Ede Road Zonal Headquarters, Off Ede Road, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
While reflecting on the rationale behind it, she recalled that she got the vision from God to organize the programme every first month of the year for people to cry unto him and be blessed with their heart desires according to Psalm 86:6.
“The Hear My Cry Oh Lord vision was given to me by God himself. He spoke to me clearly and directly and I heard him clearly: “Go and call my people together and tell them to cry unto me and I will answer them. In Yoruba parlance, it means, “Gbo igbe mi oluwa.” This has been the theme of the programme since inception and we have never changed it. We only change Bible texts because there are many scriptures that reflect the theme,” she said.
“It is a 24-hour fasting and prayers programme in the presence of God. The vision is aimed at any issue bothering the hearts of individuals. They come together and cry unto the Lord to help them and he has been doing so since the programme started 12 years ago. During the programme, prophecies sometimes come specifically on political matters and Nigeria as a country and we pray to God to intervene in its challenges. “Apparently, the programme has been a solution channel to God’s people, including Nigeria,” she added.
“We started the programme in 2012 when we were at Foursquare Gospel Church, Oranfe Zone. That was immediately I received the vision from God. He said that we should be doing it first thing in the first month of every year. He also said that if we cried unto him, he would stand by us throughout the year and that is how it has been since we started. It is like a year’s foundation prayer. Whenever we organize it, it lasts for 24 hours with fasting and prayers in the presence of God. We have never failed since we started.
“I give God praise for all the miracles he has been performing, thereby making the vision real.”
Akeredolu who is also the Presiding Senior Pastor, Foursquare Gospel Church, Edunabon Branch, enthused that anointed ministers of God always turned out in their numbers to minister to people with diverse gifts.
She expressed delight that God had enormously heard the cry of so many participants by meeting them at their various points of needs.
“During the programme, many anointed ministers of God came and God used them to bless his people by granting them diverse miracles. To the glory of God, people have spectacular testimonies of miracles at every edition of the programme,” she said.
While recalling incidences of some of the miracles, she said:
“There was a time an okada man died after colliding with a vehicle. Participants prayed and the person came back to life after 45 minutes. There was also a time a woman passed on after giving birth, and was about to be taken to a mortuary. But she was taken to a private room and prayed for and she also came back to life. A woman who fell into a coma and could not even recognize her husband was also prayed for and she recovered. Some participants who cried unto God to make it possible for them to travel abroad are now in America and UK. Those that cried unto God to give them fruits of the womb have all been blessed with children. On of them was a woman who waited for 18 years until God blessed her.
Mrs Akeredolu said this year’s edition of the programme focused on prophetic actions that bordered on use of prayer symbols to attract blessings in areas of career and business.
“In this year’s edition, God asked us to bring our symbols of prayer requests to be used as a point of contact for their miracles. Those believing God for a house or vehicle brought key holders, those who wanted babies, came with baby shawl, students came with biros, some professionals came with laptops and they were all blessed.”
She expressed optimism that the next edition would be more significant and impactful.
“We shall hold it between the last Friday and Saturday of January, 2024. We shall be expecting a great outpouring of Holy Ghost powers and greater dimensions of miracles,” she said.
Her husband, Professor Funso
Akeredolu, who also spoke about the significances of the programme, said: “It is about people coming to God to tell him their heart desires because they believe that God is the solution to all the problems of their life.”
“At the end of January every year, we come to receive fresh blessings from God for newness in every dimension of our lives. We expect God to do what we call 24 hours miracles in our lives so that when people see you today at one level and see you, tomorrow you are at another level. I have personally received miracles of transformation from one level to the other,” he said.
“Since God gave the vision to my wife 12 years ago, I caught the vision with her and from then, God has been honouring his word and fulfilling the vision by hearing participants’ cry,” the professor of Chemical Engineering at OAU, Ile-Ife, noted.
Other clerics and participants also spoke:
Rev. (Dr.) Olanrewaju Williams said: “The programme has been impactful. It has transformed the lives of many people in several ways. I encourage people to keep participating in it and avail themselves the opportunity to witness the diverse miracles that participants always enjoy.”
Pastor Testimony Olayemi, the Presiding Pastor, CAC, City of Glory from Ibadan said: “To God be the glory for his powers that manifested through diverse miracles, especially healing. He really used ministers of God who used their diverse gifts to minister to people’s needs.”
Rev. (Dr.) Odun Orioke, the General Overseer of Christway Ministry, said: “I have been involved in the programme as a major speaker and minister. It is an atmosphere created by God to help people who really need God’s help. God has used the programme to change the stories of many people.”
Rev. Razak Akinwale, Akure Axis Coordinator, FGC, Ife District Overseer, Foursquare, Gospel Church Ile-Ife, said: “It is a highly spiritual atmosphere that always attracts God’s presence. Many participants have benefitted from it.”
Evangelist Femi Praise of GOFAMINT Ilesha noted: “The programme was glorious. It really blessed many lives. The subsequent editions should be given a wider publicity to give more people the privilege of participation and blessings.”
Rev. Mike Akinwale, Zonal Superintendent, FGC, Moore Ile-Ife said: “The programme was very impactful. Other ministries should emulate it.”
Rev Collins Akintimehin, FGC, OSCAS, Ile-Ife said: “I have been a major minister and speaker at the programme. God has used the programme to change the stories of many people for good.”
Prophet Clement Adeleke, Senior Pastor, CAC Orimikoya, Akure said: “God has been blessing me right from the inception of the programme and the people that always follow me there from Akure. Two years ago, somebody donated a car to me. During the just-concluded edition too, somebody donated a car to me again. Another person who followed me to the programme has been granted visa and has travelled abroad. God also gave the wife of another person looking for the fruit of womb, twins.”
Pastor Mrs Caroline Emokpae, Foursquare Gospel Church, Modomo said: “Hear My Cry programme comes with supernatural miracles for my family every year. In the last year’s edition, God gave my son a job after many years of unemployment.”
Assistant Pastor, Mrs Beatrice Olubode, said: “We really enjoyed ourselves in the presence of God. It was prayer and praise galore. God really moved in his might. He blessed people with diverse miracles, especially healing.”
Deaconess Bosede Oyesanmi, Director of Audit, OAU, Ile-Ife: “A year before the programme started, I lost a very dear person and I cried unto God. Since then, he has been hearing my cry when I ask him for anything.”
Evangelist (Dr.) Regina Quaye, Foursquare Gospel Church, Ede Road, Ile-Ife: “It is so timely as God uses it to meet many people at their points of needs, especially at a time like this that so many people are passing through difficulties.”
Pastor (Dr.) Soji Onadiji, Foursquare Gospel Church, Ede Road, Ile-Ife: “Every year it’s a time of spiritual refreshment in God’s presence. People yearn to attend because it comes with diverse miracles and testimonies.
Rev Adesanwo Ajebamidele, FGC Ede Road said: “The programme should be used to pray for Nigeria for healing and deliverance from diverse problems that the country is passing through. This country needs healing. Nigeria needs to maintain her status as the giant of Africa and in the comity of nations.
The programme is open to every Nigerian, including Nigerians in diaspora, regardless of their denomination. They should take advantage of it by participating in subsequent editions.”
Rev Gbenga Fayomi FCG, OAU Campus Gate: “Nigeria has a lot of economic, political and insecurity challenges. When we come together at the programme, we receive revelations on what is about to happen in Nigeria and when we pray about it, he provides solutions.”
Rev Sunday Oyeniyi FCG, Gbongan:
“The programme can transform the life of Nigeria as a country from all the ongoing challenges. Nigerian leaders, especially politicians, should be invited to participate in the subsequent editions to be prayed for. Through this, Nigeria’s problems can be solved.”
Pastor (Mrs) Atinuke Adepoju, FGC, Eleweran: “Jesus has power over all problems. As he transforms lives at the programme through our prayers, he would also transform Nigeria from all the problems it has been passing through. We always pray for Nigeria because it is our own Jerusalem and I believe he has been answering the prayers, if not the problems would have gone out of hands.”
