HAS GOD FORGOTTEN ME?

 “………….Fighting temptation to give up virginity... Will be turning 43 in January and this fleshly desire is pressing.  It hasn't been easy having more and more ungodly men to ward off especially when I feel alone... Every where I turn my friends talk about either their work or their husbands or their children or their family... all of which I don't have…………..”

I culled the above paragraph from a mail sent to me today. I could feel a tear dropping down my cheek when the email implied a sense of being forgotten by God. Especially considering this season of the year when the last month is fast approaching and time seems to have gone by with little hope of anything good happening.

The possibility of feeling rejected and abandoned is very high. All the things ever hoped for in 2012 do not seem to have happened and may not happen. More painful it is when ungodly people seem to have what they want and are not burdened with all the yokes we carry.

Every victorious woman of faith goes through times of dryness. These include dryness in every sphere of life. Drought of trustworthy friend and special person to love is the most excruciatingly painful to endure. The sense of being alone and unloved is killing. Most of the time, words alone cannot explain why this should be happening to us at all.

Listen my Sister, the whole of 1Samuel chapter 1 (Please read) focused on the life of a woman called Hannah. She married Elikanah but was unable to have children. So her husband decided to take on another woman as second wife who had sons and daughters. Imagine the pain of being abandoned for a woman who began making babies like a factory and she couldn’t. She must have felt emotionally abandoned by the husband, emotional taunted by the contentious second wife and sadness of heart at the birth of each of the other wife’s children. Verse 6-7 said 

“But her rival wife taunted her cruelly, rubbing it in and never letting her forget that God had not given her children. This went on year after year. Every time she went to the sanctuary of God she could expect to be taunted. Hannah was reduced to tears and had no appetite.”

Most painful was the fact that the Bible said it was God who closed her womb in Verse 5. You may ask why? What has she done? Why did God close her womb? What was the reason? My answer is God has a bigger plan. God had set her up for a show of His glory without her knowing.

Did Hannah fold her arms and rebelled against God? No. Did she try shorter routes? NO. What did she do?

Hannah, driven by desperation, pursued God to a place of reckless prayer and weeping before God. Without dignity or laid down formality she begged God for a son. She knew she had a destiny that must be fulfilled. She realised the fulfilment can only be found in God. She chased after God with all fervent prayer of hope and not of self-pity. She fought to overcome the consuming ache of inadequacy within herself. She was willing to go to war in order to fulfil destiny and not live a waste. All the weapon of prayer she used is still available to us all today.

Did God answer? Yes, He did. God responded to her. God saw her tears, He heard her prayers, and He rewarded her faith because He saw the passion of her broken heart. Hannah’s son, Samuel was the only one we know of in scripture. The other woman and her children were no longer heard of.

My sister, only you can develop within you a very passionate zeal to see your God given destiny come to fulfilment. If you become so lethargic and complacent, if you put on the coat of ‘it doesn’t matter’, if you become less bothered and just carry on living, you will read of others breakthrough and no one is ever able to read yours. 

Allow all the present dryness to drive you towards God the almighty and not away from Him. Away from Him doesn’t cost God anything but may cost you all the fullness of what He has in stock for you.

Like the paragraph of the email I quoted earlier, if that is where you are and you desperately want God to come through for you, inject very serious passion into your prayer when you get to the place of pouring your soul and your tears to Him.

Like Hannah, may you leave your place of prayer in peace. May you find favour before Him and may your petition be granted you. May your countenance be changed from sadness to full joy. May you be fed with the food of rejoicing.

May your glorious end be greater than your former in Jesus name. Amen.

I love you Sister. 

JESUS CARES.

RESERVED SEATS

Recently, on the 27^th of May to be precise, an incidence happened that will linger in my memory for a long time to come. God used this experience to teach me a lesson about how He works all things out together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. My friend Dawn and I had planned to attend the induction ceremony of a friend of ours into the pastorate of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. This event was scheduled to take place during the London Baptist Assembly in session. The venue was the Central Hall, Westminster. There is a bus from where I live that travels straight to this venue.  It was the cheapest option and quickest too.

The programme starts at 7.00pm and all guests have been advised to be seated by 6.45pm. The journey takes only 40minutes from my home. My friend and I agreed to meet at the bus stop at 5.55pm so we can hop on the 6.o’clock bus and arrive venue in good time. Trust Dawn, being English, she rang me on the dot of 6.00pm already at the bus top. She saw the bus coming and was ringing to see if I was around the corner. My husband picked the phone as I was still in the bathroom. She was very angry because the entry tickets were with me. Stucked, she had to wait for me. She had every right to be angry. The idea to travel by bus was mine. She initially suggested driving but venue being at the city central, parking will be a major problem. To get me to be on time, she decided to leave the tickets with me. (She has always frowned at me and my African timing. I’ve always been late to appointments)

Earlier, a distressed neighbour of mine buzzed on my door at about 5.10pm that evening. Her eyes heavy with tears, my husband and I sat down, listened and prayed with her. She had just discovered that her teenage son had been smoking cannabis and had been involved in some strange stuffs. I couldn’t walk out on her because I needed to go out. I was running out of time but couldn’t figure what to do. Dawn couldn’t understand what my delay was all about. I was very late.

I got to the bus stop at about 6.30pm. Dawn held herself together very well but I could see anger written all over her. We said ‘hello’ but nothing more as I was cautious not to burst her fumes. We got to the venue at about 7.15pm. It was jam-packed full. Our tickets meant we were to sit at the first floor gallery, it was all taken over. No more seats. We could hear from the entrance lobby the powerful worship song being led by Noel Robinson. 

We were still waiting to figure out what to do when an usher came to us and asked ‘Have you ladies any seats yet?’ we said ‘No’. He said ‘Ok, if you’ll come with me please’. This usher took us right to the front, the reserved seats where the guest speakers were seated.  We suddenly realised we were sitting next to Dr.Tony Campollo, the special guest speaker from America. Our pastor friend whom we have gone to honour was several seats behind us. He and his wife were shocked to see us where we sat and wondered how we got there. They thought we were late and couldn’t come in.

Yes we were late, but God, Who alone understood the reason behind our lateness, went ahead of us and reserved us seats among the guests of honour. We had good view of the platform, comfy seats, and a good feel to it. Though delayed and got there late, God arranged the best seats for us. He sat us among the VIPs, gave us a good evening. Dawn later said to me ‘Shade, thank God you came late. ‘

Romans 8:28.

Ladies! I hope you have been encouraged by this testimony. God could be doing the same thing with your marital situation. Trust Him, He is able to work it out for your good. Wait for Him. Through Jesus, our Christ, we know that the Father is true. He is your peace as you wait.