HOPE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY

As I prayed for my nation, Nigeria, on that regular morning, I found myself beginning to thank God for hope in another Country, for that Home where there are no more tears or dying. It was surprising sort of. I was supposed to be praying for God’s mercy to prevail in Nigeria, for God to deliver us from evil, and there I was praising God for my future Country.

Taking some time to think about it, I have come to accept that the situation is very bad – almost beyond hope. Please, don’t get me wrong, I still have hope that Nigeria will be better someday. But I have come to learn that we can’t have the life we long for here on this earth. My husband and I have talked a lot about relocating to somewhere better. My colleagues and I have those conversations too. However, if we think carefully about it, we will see that there is actually nowhere here on earth, no country that is without troubles. For example, the recent, unfortunately too regular cases of mass shootings / killings in the United States gets me worried for my family and friends over there. There is also lots of news of killer floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc. around the world every year – in countries that are tagged good and those that are just getting by. There are wars here and there. And it’s like the more we hope and pray, the farther we are from what we desire.

So I understand why God led me to praise Him that day for the place He has prepared for us over there. God knew that this present world would get to this deteriorated state; that it is a place where the fullness of who God is cannot be maximally expressed. He knew that sin messed up things so badly and as Paul puts it Romans 8:21-22, even “all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” and that “with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.”

GOD knew all this. So because He knew that that we cannot completely be who He created us to be here on this earth, He made plans to create a new earth. This one will pass away. And all things will be completely under God’s control, exactly as He wants things to be. Jesus Himself will be the King of that new Country. So we don’t need to believe the lies of politicians anymore. Believers will be rulers of cities in that Country, so we can rest assured knowing that godly people are the ones ruling. There will be no more dying, no more wars, no more tears. There won’t even be the need for the sun or the moon; God Himself will be our light. It is indeed a glorious city. It’s certainly a place to look forward to. And that’s why God led me to praise Him.

So, if you’re a believer and like me, you are sick and tired of what’s going on around you. You want to run away and you’re not sure where to; I have good news for you. This too shall pass. It may take a while. But it will. There is Home in a better place. There is Hope of a better life – lived exactly as God designed it. However, while we wait, we can keep on living for Christ here – to live is Christ. You can relocate to any country on this earth (I probably will). But always live knowing that wherever you are is not your final destination. Your true Home is that future Country.

If you’re not a believer, unfortunately, this life is the best you can get. It will get worse for you – because there is also a place for you. But it is a place without God and without love. And a place without God’s love is full of darkness, pain, horror, sorrow, and everything evil and undesirable you can think about. The good news for you is that Christ is still your hope. He died to deliver you from the power of darkness, and if you’d only come to Him, surrender your all to Him, believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD, you shall be saved. Yes! it’s as simple as that. There is hope of a better life ONLY in Jesus.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

REVELATION 21:1-8

HE CARES FOR YOU

Phew!!! I’ve missed my blog.

2017 was a very very eventful year for me and my family. Thankfully, there were a whole lot more good news than bad ones. Top on the list is the addition to our little family; our beautiful daughter, Grace Oluwalayotemi (Oh-lu-wah-lah-yaw-tay-me; meaning God is my joy).

 

 

Being a mother has taught me so much about God’s love and care for us, His children. Several times, I catch myself wondering that if I, a human, can carry so much love in my heart for another human; I wonder how much love God carries in His heart for me.

Something remarkable happened some days ago. On December 23^rd, we had our usual Evangelism/Church Planting outreach (I once mentioned it here). My local church was involved in planting a new church around the area. We had had a morning session that Saturday and I returned to the church with my daughter for the evening session. Being an open, uncompleted building, I realized that it was getting cold that Harmattan evening. Because it had been hot all day long, I had forgotten to carry some warm clothing along for Grace. Even the covering cloth I had was just a light flannel. The time was only about quarter past six and naturally, I expected it to get colder. I checked her diaper bag for an extra onesie and wore it over what she had on. I folded the flannel into a triangle wrapped it around her shoulders and put her on my lap for skin-to-skin warmth. I wasn’t satisfied. I put her back in her car seat which I had in front of me, and pleaded with a sister in church to help me look after her while I rushed home to get her sweater and a thicker blanket. I got on the road, hoping to get back to my daughter in 15 minutes tops. That didn’t happen. Fifteen minutes turned out to be almost an hour.

 

 

Wait… before I continue, I have to add this. While pulling out of the parking space that I had managed to get when I arrived earlier, I prayed a simple prayer, “God please keep this parking space for me.”

Anyway, I got onto the major road leading to my house and it was jammed in traffic. If you live in Nigeria, you’d know that most traffic situations can seem hopeless. This was one of those. It wasn’t clear what was causing the traffic, but there was tight traffic. To make matters worse, the house key was with my husband, who was with kids in teenage camp. I called him to meet me up, so he was coming from the opposite direction – jammed in traffic as well. To cut the long story short, I thought it wise to park my car and walk up to my husband to get the house key, then walk home and then walk back to my car. After about forty minutes of power-walking, I finally made it back to my car with my baby’s warm clothes, turned around and went back to the venue of the church planting service. I felt spent.

 

 

When I got there, the parking space was still there waiting for me, exactly as I’d left it. I was so grateful. As I thanked God, happy for the parking space, he spoke to me. He said, “See how much trouble you went through to get your daughter warm clothes that she may not even need. Does it not show that I care for you even more? That I care for all my children even more?”

I considered it and realized that God actually loves us and cares for us very very much. And it’s not about what we’ve done or not done. It’s not about who we are. It’s completely about who He is. He is Love. He can’t function any other way. Even when things aren’t going as good as we’d like, we can trust that he’s working things out for us. If my daughter were a little older, she would have thought that mommy abandoned her when she was cold and in need of warmth. And it was not so at all.

 

 

It’s the same with God. When we are in need; when we are desperate, sometimes He may not tell us anything, but we can trust that He’s working things out for our good. He promised to care for us until our hair was gray and white (Isaiah 46:4). I know He didn’t lie about that.

2018 is here. This is another year with countless uncertainties. Although, there will be challenges, discouraging situations, and times when you’d want to give up, this is another year when you can completely put your trust in Him, remembering that He works for your good, even through unpleasant circumstances (Romans 8:28).

 

 

In 2018, you may doubt a lot of things, and that’s okay. But never doubt God’s love. Never doubt that He cares for you. Knowledge of this will see you through and keep you going as you fulfill His purposes this year.

Happy New Year! It’ll be a glorious one in Christ.

 

 

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***The end of my story: I got to Grace 10 minutes to the close of service, and she was sweating. It was a complete waste of my time. But put in the same situation, I’d do it again for her.