Christianese 17

Advertisement

Sister Tope was next to give her testimony:

“Brethren.” She began

“As you all know, I have been looking for a job for some time now. I  have attended several interviews, in fact in the last one, I did so well I was sure I will get the job. But the MD asked me to sleep with him before giving me the offer, I refused and was denied a job I knew I was qualified for. It hurts but I still thank God, I know he has another plan and I will keep praying, believing and waiting on him.”

“I want us to understand that faith is not only meant for getting things from God, sometimes we have to give up things because of our faith. By faith we obey God and please him and we have to prove this in different ways; yours may not happen like mine. You know we have been taught that if you have faith God will deliver you, but that’s less than half of the truth. You may fail an exam because you refused to compromise and that’s faith. That God allowed it doesn’t mean you have no faith or that he isn’t capable, but he is more interested in refining your faith than making you happy. I pray God to give us understanding and strengthen us in Jesus name. ”

“Amen.”  The congregation chorused

Many people expected her to say that because of her faith, God miraculously gave her the job, but she reminded us of men and women in the bible whose faith caused them to give up things.

This testimony blessed me so much. I was reminded that the primary work of faith in the believers life is not to help us acquire things but to first teach us that we can live without them, remove our dependence from them and place it on God. That way our joy and testimony is not only on getting and getting but on obedience to God and as long as we obey and please him, he will not withhold any good thing from us.

Other people came afterwards to testify of the wonderful things God was doing in their lives. One testimony brought tears to my eyes: A couple who were at the brink of a divorce had their marriage restored and they were back together.

The woman testified how she and her husband were separated for almost 6 years due to her husband’s infidelity, they had given up and were already filing for divorce because her friends continuously advised her to quit. But God was working on their hearts all the way and during this period her husband encountered Christ and truly repented of his sins and begged for her forgiveness. God helped her let go and restored their marriage and they loved each other like never before. Their little daughter seemed to be the most delighted, she giggled endlessly.

I was in awe of how God changed a seemingly impossible situation.

“Indeed, our God is a great God; he knows how to turn a hopeless situation around. Just hang in there.” Pastor Emeka took over as the congregation erupted in heartfelt praise and adoration. He also encouraged us to reach out to people, pray with them and stand by them through trying times.

Many hearts were encouraged and strengthened. It was indeed a refreshing time in His presence.

***

We continued our prayers for the church with greater zeal and passion as we were seeing torrents of answer. We knew that God’s word is indeed true and he is always willing to hear and answer anytime we humble ourselves and call on him.

We also knew that if we persisted, we would see more of the answers.

***

“We sincerely appreciate your hard work and dedication throughout your stay with us. We wish you all the best in life.”

Mr Olakunle ended his brief speech and we responded with another round of applause.

The send forth party for the corps members in our office brought sweet memories and mixed feelings for me. Fatima and Lekan would be leaving us next week and I will definitely miss them both especially Fatima.

Lekan Adeniyi was a gentle man in every sense of the word. He was reserved and hardly spoke unlike the rest of us; I always wondered how a guy could be so reserved and withdrawn. Despite Titi’s relentless yabbings, he proved a hard nut to crack. He smiled very little and worked a lot; always glued to his laptop. For him, life was all about work.

The first time I saw him angry was one of those days Titi yabbed the life out of him. She told him she wondered how he would ever chyke a lady let alone propose to his future wife. It was so funny we bursted out and laughed him to scorn. Though I regretted that, I consoled myself that I wasn’t the one saying it and more still; she was saying the truth. He was really offended and Titi didn’t bother to apologize because to her; it was just a joke.  But now, I know better.

The management got them gifts and promised to give them priority consideration for employment if there was an opening and if they were interested in working with us.

Lekan had other plans I guessed. He looked like a potential entrepreneur; someone who would prefer to work on his own and be the boss rather than a regular employee. I admired his strict work ethics.

Fatima on other hand wanted to stay back if they employed her and already planned to drop her CV before leaving but her father insisted on her returning home to work in his NGO. Despite this, I had an inkling that God had another plan for her.

I hope it’s what I am thinking.

xoxo