The Power of Prayer...

...isn't quite enough to stop a charging lion, as a Prophet of the Zion Christian Church in Ghana recently discovered.

Alec Ndiwane was praying at Kruger National Park when he seemed to be overcome by the spirit and began speaking in tongues. He then suddenly ran toward a pride of lions eating the remains of an antelope. As soon as they noticed him the lions charged at Ndiwane, who came to his senses as they approached and finally ran away. Unfortunately, he did not escape the encounter unscathed.

The Zion Christian Church Prophet was at the park with his fellow church members when, according to GhanaWeb, he went into a trance and began speaking in tongues. The group approached the pride of lions while they munched happily on an antelope, but that’s when Ndiwane ran toward the lions.

Out To Africa lists humans as the major predator to lions, so it’s no surprise that the lions took on the challenge. Once he realized what was happening, Ndiwane made an about-face and immediately ran away. Unfortunately, lions are fast and fierce animals and when one of the lions snapped her paws on him, Ndiwane sustained injuries to his buttocks.

The ranger fired his gun into the air to scare the lions off and rushed the prophet to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to ensure he didn’t lose most of his buttocks.

The moral of this story? You can pray and pray and be filled with the light of the spirit. The Lord can favor you in all your deeds, and fill your heart with love. You can be the best, most pious Christian ever, and your faith can be a beacon to your followers.

But even then, you should always be smart enough to cover your ass.