Friends,
Tonight, I did not come to speak about politics.
This is not the place for that, and this is not that moment.
I came to share in a moment of reflection, to join hearts with you in faith and thanksgiving. Because long before I ever held public office, I was simply a Bahamian man who learned that if it had not been for the grace of God, I would not be here.
Psalm 124:1 says, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side…” I know that truth for myself. I have seen what the Lord can do with a willing heart and a little faith. I have seen doors open that no man could open and storms calm that no one else could calm.
When I look back over my life, I see His fingerprints everywhere, in the good days and in the hard ones. I remember a barefoot boy growing up on Cat Island, surrounded by community and faith. I remember the sound of my mother praying late into the night. I remember the old church bell calling us to worship and the elders who reminded us that prayer was the first and last answer to everything.
Those lessons never left me. They became the compass of my life. I am here as a believer who knows that grace is the only reason I am still standing.
The Bahamas Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention has always been a great reminder of what faith can build. Through your schools, your churches, your outreach, and your steadfast witness, you have shaped our nation’s soul. And for that, I thank you.
You have raised generations to know God, to walk uprightly, and to serve others with humility. That is what it means to be Bahamian, a people built on faith, rooted in prayer, and sustained by grace.
I have often said that The Bahamas has survived more than its fair share of trials. We have faced hurricanes, hardship, and heartbreak. Yet through it all, we never stopped being a nation that prays.
2 Chronicles 7:14 gives us a promise from God: “If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
That is a word we must hold onto. Because healing does not come from argument or power. It comes when a people fall on their knees and call on the name of the Lord.
I believe the strength of The Bahamas lies not only in our beauty or our wealth but in our prayers.
Every island, every settlement, every home has been touched by prayer. Mothers praying for sons caught in trouble. Fathers praying for work. Teachers praying for patience. Pastors praying for revival. That is who we are. Prayer is our inheritance.
And when I think of how far we have come, I can only echo the words of Lamentations 3:22–23: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.”
Great is His faithfulness.
I know there are moments when our faith is tested, when violence troubles our streets, when families struggle, when hope feels distant. But even in those moments, God has never turned His face away from us. He still walks beside us.
When we call upon His name, He still answers. When we knock, He still opens the door. When we fall, He still lifts us up.
Tonight, I want to speak directly to the believers in this room, the pastors, the deacons, the choir members, the youth leaders, and the everyday worshippers. You are the moral conscience of this nation. You remind us what truly matters. You remind us that faith is not something we visit on Sunday; it is something we live every day.
In Philippians 4:6–7, the Apostle Paul tells us: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
That peace is what I pray for our country. That peace that passes understanding, the kind that keeps families together, strengthens communities, and quiets the noise of division.
We cannot allow politics, anger, or pride to stand between us as believers. We may come from different walks of life, but we share one faith, one purpose, and one destiny as children of God. The love of Christ must always be greater than the lines that divide us.
Friends, I ask for your prayers. Pray that I may always walk humbly before God. Pray for wisdom, for courage, for discernment. Pray for all who lead, that we may govern with compassion and fairness.
And let us also pray for our young people. Many of them are growing up in a world that tempts them to forget God. But I believe this next generation is hungry for something real, for truth, for love, for hope. It is our duty to show them that faith is still alive in The Bahamas.
Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
That has been the map of my own life. Every time I tried to rely on my own strength, I failed. Every time I placed my trust in God, He made a way.
As I end, my heart is full of gratitude. Gratitude for the prayers that have covered me, for the grace that has carried me, and for the faith that has sustained this nation.
Let us rededicate ourselves tonight, not to politics, but to prayer. Not to division, but to unity. Not to fear, but to faith. Because when The Bahamas prays together, The Bahamas stands together.
And as long as we keep our hands in God’s hands, no storm will break us, no darkness will overcome us, and no challenge will defeat us.
May this 67th Annual Session renew your strength, deepen your faith, and remind you that the God who brought us this far is still faithful to carry us the rest of the way.
May His grace rest upon you.
May His peace dwell within you. And may His love continue to guide this blessed land we call home.
God bless the Bahamas Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention.
God bless each of you.
And God bless the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.