“All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?'” – Daniel 4:35

August 6, 2025, will be remembered across Ghana as “Black Wednesday.” Social media platforms overflowed with grief as news broke that a helicopter carrying high-ranking government officials had crashed in the Sikaman Forest of the Adansi South District, Ashanti Region. The officials were travelling on official business to support the government’s anti-illegal mining efforts under the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme.

This tragedy plunged the nation into profound discussions about safety, divine providence, and the role of prophecy in national affairs. While investigations into the crash commenced and condolences poured in from across the nation, the government announced an unprecedented response: the creation of a desk within the Office of the Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations to receive “prophecies that bother on national security.” According to the Presidential Envoy, this initiative aims to ensure “responsibility, discernment, and stewardship over the nation’s destiny.”

Although I can understand the rationale behind this strange move by the government, I am convinced that this is a dangerous path to take and one that is not grounded in sound biblical thinking. It is my goal in this article to show why this meddling of the government in matters of faith is a dangerous precedent both for the country and the Christian community.

The Biblical Foundation: How God Rules the World

The Comprehensive Scope of Divine Providence

Scripture consistently testifies to God’s active governance over all creation. The biblical witness reveals that divine providence extends to every realm of existence, from the cosmic to the personal. Wayne Grudem reflects in Chapter 16 of his Systematic Theology that “God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he (1) keeps them existing and maintaining the properties with which he created them; (2) cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do; and (3) directs them to fulfil his purposes.”

The Old Testament establishes this foundation clearly. Psalm 135:6 declares the universal extent of God’s authority: “Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.” This comprehensive dominion encompasses both visible and invisible realms, as Proverbs 15:3 confirms: “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

Daniel’s prophecy further illuminates God’s control over human history: “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him” (Daniel 2:21–22).

New Testament Affirmations

The New Testament continues this theme with equal clarity. Paul declares in Acts 17:24–28 that “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything… for ‘in him we live and move and have our being.'” The author of Hebrews adds that God the Son “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).

This collective biblical witness establishes that God maintains active control over all aspects of heaven and earth—not as a distant observer, but as the sovereign ruler whose purposes cannot be thwarted.

Historic Christian Teaching on Divine Providence

Centuries before our present circumstances, the church engaged in deep theological reflection about how God rules the world. The 1689 London Baptist Confession and the Westminster Confession of Faith—both reliable summaries of historic Christianity—begin Article 3 with this profound declaration:

“God hath decreed in Himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass…”

These confessions capture the biblical understanding of God’s sovereignty, asserting that God is never caught off guard by any event in human history. Nothing occurs outside His wise and holy counsel. In theological terms, He ordains everything that comes to pass.

Implications for National Tragedy

The implication is that the calamity that happened on the 6th of August did not take God by surprise; he was in complete control. From a biblical perspective, the helicopter crash occurred within God’s sovereign will. Isaiah affirms this principle when he quotes the Lord: “I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things” (Isaiah 45:7).

This truth provides profound comfort: the universe operates not by random chance or human foresight, but according to God’s unshakable decree. While this may challenge our natural inclinations during times of grief, it offers the solid foundation that nothing—not even tragedy—falls outside God’s ultimate control.

The Relationship Between Divine Decree and Human Responsibility

Importantly, the Confessions do not render prayer or human action meaningless. They teach something far more nuanced: God ordains both ends and means. Prayer, wise planning, and protective measures remain meaningful precisely because God employs them as instruments through which His will is accomplished.

Acts 27 provides a compelling illustration. During Paul’s storm-tossed voyage to Rome, God promised safety for all aboard (Acts 27:23-25). Yet this divine assurance coexisted with human effort—the crew’s diligent work and wise navigation did not avert the eventual shipwreck. The ship’s ultimate loss and the passengers’ preservation both fulfilled God’s decree, accomplished through ordinary means.

This understanding means that when tragedy occurs, it is not because we “missed” a prophetic warning. Similarly, when disaster is averted, it is not because a prophet intercepted God’s plan, but because God decreed prevention through whatever means He chose.

Why Institutionalising Prophecy Threatens Biblical Faith

While the government’s desire to prevent future tragedies is understandable, establishing a national prophecy desk poses significant theological and practical dangers.

Replacing Divine Sovereignty with Human Mysticism

The first danger lies in making God’s purposes contingent on human visions. This approach risks reducing the Almighty to a genie to pull out of the lamp whose plans depend on prophetic insight. Scripture teaches the opposite: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21). Job declares with confidence: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

This theological confusion reflects a broader misunderstanding of God’s sovereignty within Ghana’s Christian landscape. While acknowledging the deep grief of families affected by the tragedy, biblical truth compels us to recognise that the helicopter crash occurred according to God’s will, accomplished through secondary causes. No amount of prophetic warning or spiritual intervention could have altered what God decreed. As the Psalmist affirms: “Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases” (Psalm 115:3).

This reality may raise difficult questions about suffering and divine justice. Yet biblical faith calls us to worship the God whose “kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19) and who numbers even “the hairs of your head” (Matthew 10:29-30). God’s governance of creation is perfect, and no situation—regardless of its magnitude or suddenness—occurs outside His knowledge or control.

The doctrine of divine sovereignty affirms that complete authority and absolute right to govern all creation, including human beings and their actions, rests solely with God. Not even Satan can alter what God has decreed.

Creating Chaos Instead of Clarity

The second major concern involves the inevitable confusion that results from institutionalising prophecy. Competing and contradictory “prophecies” will naturally arise, forcing government officials to make impossible determinations about divine communication.

Early reports suggest this problem has already emerged. In less than two weeks after the desk’s creation, over 200 prophecies were reportedly submitted, with only a few deemed credible. This raises critical questions: Who determines authenticity? By what criteria? What constitutes credible versus incredible prophecy? Such subjective determinations represent a problematic waste of government resources and administrative energy.

Biblical prophecy operated under vastly different standards. Moses established the test for authentic prophecy: “When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken” (Deuteronomy 18:22). True biblical prophets delivered specific, accurate predictions without confusion, for “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

The current chaotic landscape of competing prophetic voices contrasts sharply with biblical examples, where “the word of the LORD is right and true” (Psalm 33:4). The authentication process becomes both theologically problematic and practically unworkable, creating a slippery slope that could undermine rational governance.

Scripture warns extensively about false prophets (Jeremiah 23:16, Matthew 24:11). Moreover, even genuine biblical prophets were never intended to serve as security consultants for the state. Their role typically involved confronting rulers with divine truth rather than integration into administrative machinery.

A Biblical Path Forward

Combining Faith with Responsibility

The proper response to national tragedy involves neither fatalistic resignation nor frantic pursuit of mystical insights. Instead, Scripture calls for combining unwavering faith in God’s sovereignty with diligent human responsibility.

The Westminster Confession reminds us that God “orders [events] to fall out, according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.” This means we cannot excuse negligence or policy failure by appealing to divine decree. Similarly, we cannot imagine that prophetic hotlines will secure our nation’s future.

True national security emerges from trusting the God who “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11) while faithfully executing our earthly responsibilities. Leaders and citizens must work diligently and wisely in the duties God has entrusted to them. 

Where Real Security Is Found

If Ghana’s future is to be secure, it will not be because a prophecy desk predicted danger, but because both leaders and citizens take seriously the truth that is revealed in his word, that God’s decree is unshakable. Real peace comes not from collecting confusing prophecies, but from biblical faith combined with responsible governance.

As a wise friend of mine recently observed, “God has left His mind in the Bible. Let’s go after it.” Rather than seeking divine guidance through subjective prophetic claims, we should diligently study the written revelation God has already provided in Holy Scripture.

Conclusion

The August 6th tragedy that claimed the lives of dedicated public servants deserves thoughtful reflection rather than reactionary policies. While the government’s desire to prevent future disasters is commendable, the path of institutionalized prophecy leads away from both biblical truth and effective governance.

Scripture offers a better way: trusting in the sovereign God who declares, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose” (Isaiah 46:10), while faithfully fulfilling our human responsibilities. This approach honours both divine sovereignty and human accountability without descending into confusion or superstition.

Ghana’s security and prosperity depend not on collecting competing prophetic visions, but on leaders and citizens who embrace both the comfort of divine sovereignty and the call to responsible stewardship. In times of national grief and uncertainty, may we find our anchor not in human predictions, but in the unchanging character of the God who governs all things according to His perfect will.

“For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” – Isaiah 46:9-11

God bless our homeland, Ghana, and make it great and strong!

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