I was broke, feeling extremely down. I
looked at my chain of responsibilities and the huge budgets that accompanied my
goals...certainly looks like the weight of the world suddenly jumped on me. I
stared at my dream car as it passed by, in my head I could hear the music
vibrating from its speakers. An SMS beep from my phone rudely interrupted the gbedu and for consolation I hoped it was
a GTB or Diamond Bank alert. Not that I had recently closed a juicy deal for
which I was expecting a credit alert, I simply thought maybe a good Samaritan had
dropped an offering for me (not because I am God, but because s/he is good), or, perhaps, my attempts at
hijacking peeps to drop something for the
boiz had proven successful. It was such a trying period, something I wasn’t
used to anymore.
This is April and this tale sure isn’t
April Fool.
These are times when every word of
encouragement evaporates as long as the desirable wasn’t available; the road
bumps of life stagger us momentarily into doubting God’s existence and love for
mankind: “Well...who knows? He's probably got favourites.” Now, how do you deal
with those setbacks that scratch your skin? those disappointments that attach to
you like an enclosed CV in yet another desperate application? How do you
comprehend watching others achieve and you remain on that crazy stagnant spot?
How deeply frustrating is it when that one thing you have so desired keeps
eluding you year after year. How are you expected to keep keeping on? How
courageous is it to don Gucci shades in order to block the reflections of
you-can-manage-this substitutes that life offers?
Do I believe in miracles? Are the
sweet stories, those happily-ever-afters, recorded in the Holy Book actually
true? Or are they simply hyperbolic fabrications of a bunch of drunken priests
huddled up in a conspiracy to heighten our psychological inebriation? Could the
story of Abraham possibly be real? Through faith he obtained what promise? Puh-leeeez!
Spare me those sweet words. Could Sarah truly have given birth at such old age?
Could it be a fallacy or, perhaps, a fanaticised recording of the highest
order? Can one’s faith pull through such long, trying periods? This is 2014, I think
it’s better I faced reality. Every day, people go through challenges,
“unfilmtrick” issues that occur in real time. Before them are mountains that
pride themselves in their magnificent height and mass, the Goliaths that boast
of their physique and strength, the constantly-said prayers that have stayed
unanswered, and the yearnings that compliment daily routines. Can I ask where
God is when we go through all this? Why did He deny some a child in spite of
their long-term faithfulness? Why did the so-called breakthrough not surface
even after much confessions and believing? Why won’t prosperity materialise even
after constantly paying tithes and giving offerings as commanded by God? Why
did Prince Charming delay his coming while the princess dove even deeper into
the abyss of sleep? Why were we rejected that visa even after carefully
preparing our documents? Why did we fail those exams even when we did our best
studying? The thousand “Why” questions floods the heart like Hurricane Katrina.
Hannah was a woman of like passion,
she agonised at the torments of the other wife. She cried and wailed while her trouble
persisted, yet she held on and kept believing. Abraham obeyed, he did not waver
nor stagger in doubt, latching on to the frame of God’s word and promises in
order to keep standing.
Sometime in 19BC, a certain Remi Adesina also believed
at 54. I never saw her lose her joy. Her husband, Rev. Kunle Adesina, a
respected servant of God with a successful ministry with branches in several
countries did all that was commanded by his Master - he had prayed for barren
women who eventually delivered; he had named many babies, prayed for them as
they grew up; and to make matters worse, he didn’t just watch some of them get
married years after but had to conduct the joining process, yet he would sing songs
to God in thanksgiving on their behalf. I remembered that for years they were
both rejected visas to travel out of the country and many wondered why God whom
the couple loves so passionately rejected their call for a change of story. Is
God dead? Should He be termed wicked or addressed as the Lying God?
Staring at the work I had to do on my
laptop on a lovely Friday morning of the 25th of April, 2014, I had
my BlackBerry connected to the system from which I often paused to steal a look
at my pings. There
I saw a message from Pastor Bimbo Alagbe, a man who had transferred some cash
to my account a day before to finish a business deal we had. He has grown to become a man that I
respect and so admire. He has probably returned to conclude the gist we had
pending, I thought, but like an alabaster box which dropped on a solid surface,
he broke the news of Rev. Remi Adesina’s delivery of a baby boy! What?! My mouth flung open and ended up
in a round O. Surely I would have waved it off as an April Fool hoax if I had got
it first day of the month. I saw the good news spread on Facebook like the
popular gossips on Linda Ikeji’s blog. Still sitting down, I was able to
comprehend the concept of timing as explained in Ecclesiastes. While still
consumed with the nostalgic feeling experienced in Abraham’s posh city and
Hannah’s beautiful duplex in the days of yore, the word “He makes all things
beautiful in His own time” made perfect sense to me.
Are there truly hopeless situations? I really
doubt. There can only be hopeless people, better rephrased as faithless people.
The foolishness of Herod came to limelight when God stepped in for the Israelites.
God has never been and would never be late. Has He said it? He would surely
fulfil it. Hey, God hasn’t forgotten you; He is just waiting for the perfect
time to steal the show in your case. How celebrated was the miracle of Lazarus
rising from death even when it looked liked Jesus took eternity to come heal
his friend? How glamorous was Isaac’s and Samuel’s naming even when it appeared
their mothers won’t be privileged to be called mothers. If doubting Sarah could laugh and yet was
still embarrassed with a miracle, if Hannah’s situation could be reversed, who
says yours wouldn’t? I can assure you
that the promotion is coming; the visa is going to roll in; your wedding would
be an online viral gist; your job would bring with it a fat salary; your car
would be the talk of the town; your woman would be the envy of many. Dear folks,
delay isn’t denial, all you have to do is to retain the mental picture of the
bright future for what you see is what you get. Don’t curse God like Job did,
trust me He hasn’t for once forgotten you. He is indeed awesome, and He would
surely move those hard intimidating mountains, for He knows the exact time to
step in. Remember, early in April I was so broke, it’s
amazing, late April I am negotiating payment for a car. God surely would do
exceedingly, abundantly above all we ever ask, think or imagine. He would
always come and save you in your weary state. Cheer up, you are on God’s
timetable and His time is almost here; your time of remembrance period has
come.
“God’s
timing is always perfect; we are the impatient ones”
– Akinlolu Zeinab Abiola
“God is able to do just want He said
he would do/He’s gonna fulfil every promise to you/Don’t give up on God cos he
won’t give up on you/He’s able”
–
Darwin Hobbs
