"O Lord arise and let your enemies be scattered, let them that hate you flee before you. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melt before the fire, so let the wicked perish at your presence. Arise o Lord", Ajoke paced to and fro the lobby silently louding her voice to heaven, as loud as the hospital rules allowed.
Her only son, Jake, lay on the cold steel surgery table waiting to be operated upon inside the theater and Ajoke can't just find in herself the strength to keep calm.
She had returned home after close of work by 3pm that day only to discover that her husband who went to Abuja in the morning has travelled with the house keys. He hadn't stop by her place of work in
Ikorodu to drop the keys as he usually does on days when he has to embark on impromptu business trips. Ajoke had smiled and reprimanded herself for worrying at all when she remembered that Steph their first daughter has extra keys with her, all she has to do was wait somewhere till 4pm when Steph, Jane (their second daughter) and Jake (the last born and only boy) will return back from school, the school bus brings them home every school day.She had returned home after close of work by 3pm that day only to discover that her husband who went to Abuja in the morning has travelled with the house keys. He hadn't stop by her place of work in
AJ decided to visit Mrs Thomas, their neighbour who owns a shopping mall across the street. She's been witnessing about Jesus to Mrs Thomas for some days now after the pastor instructed them to share the gospel with their unbelieving friends and neighbours. AJ took up the challenge of getting Jesus across to her closest neighbour, Mrs Thomas who seem really bitter about God since she lost her husband to the gruesomely cold hands of death. Mr Thomas had died in a plane crash while on a mission trip to Mauritania. His wife was against the trip because she knew a large part of their savings will be going into it but he insisted on going, Mrs Thomas never imagined however that the goodbye he said the day he was leaving for the airport was the last he was going to say to her. Mrs Thomas wasn't so much grounded in the faith before her husband passed on, and her husband's death completely shattered whatever little faith she had before. Mrs Thomas does not like anything God, in fact she likes telling people about how God failed and disappointed her.
That was the kind of woman Ajoke had been witnessing to consistently for like five days. The good news actually was she's been making progress, at least, Mrs Thomas no longer abhors discussions about God, Ajoke has told her about the devil our adversary and his ministry of stealing, killing and destroying. She has told her about the fall of man in Genesis chapter 3, Mrs Thomas has also been told about the love of Jesus and His eternal sacrifice on the cross. She hasn't made the ultimate decision to surrender to Jesus yet, but she's definitely considering it.
That was the kind of woman Ajoke had been witnessing to consistently for like five days. The good news actually was she's been making progress, at least, Mrs Thomas no longer abhors discussions about God, Ajoke has told her about the devil our adversary and his ministry of stealing, killing and destroying. She has told her about the fall of man in Genesis chapter 3, Mrs Thomas has also been told about the love of Jesus and His eternal sacrifice on the cross. She hasn't made the ultimate decision to surrender to Jesus yet, but she's definitely considering it.
Ajoke had been with mrs Thomas again in her Shopping Mall when she suddenly received the call that Jake, her only son has been rushed to the hospital from school. The boy had slipped on the staircase, rolled down the length of it and finally banged his head on the hard concrete floor at the base of the stairs.
Ajoke can't control the stream of tears flowing down her face as she remember these details. Mrs Thomas who's now with her at the hospital has been offering her tissues and intermittent back pats.
"God this boy must not die o. If he dies, I will die too." Ajoke said in her tears.
"Don't say such things mummy Steph", Mrs Thomas consoled.
"hmm okay", Ajoke wringled her nose, shook her head twice, sat suddenly on a nearby bench shaking her feet, only to stand up again and resume her pacing.
Just then, the head surgeon came out of the theater, followed by the other doctors that had entered earlier with him. "Oh, no!" Ajoke screamed immediately she saw them, crying uncontrollably now, she took one step backwards, then two, as she turned and broke into a run heading straight for the hospital gates. Mrs Thomas also took off after her. She eventually caught her outside the hospital, panting seriously.
"God has failed me, Mrs Thomas you 've been saying it all these years but I never believed you.", Mrs Thomas just stood there dumbstruck. "That boy was my light, now my husband's family members will have a genuine reason to chase me out of their son's house. And God takes Him away just like that, it is finished. God, I never knew you are this cruel..." Ajoke continued her weepy diatribe.
Ajoke can't control the stream of tears flowing down her face as she remember these details. Mrs Thomas who's now with her at the hospital has been offering her tissues and intermittent back pats.
"God this boy must not die o. If he dies, I will die too." Ajoke said in her tears.
"Don't say such things mummy Steph", Mrs Thomas consoled.
"hmm okay", Ajoke wringled her nose, shook her head twice, sat suddenly on a nearby bench shaking her feet, only to stand up again and resume her pacing.
Just then, the head surgeon came out of the theater, followed by the other doctors that had entered earlier with him. "Oh, no!" Ajoke screamed immediately she saw them, crying uncontrollably now, she took one step backwards, then two, as she turned and broke into a run heading straight for the hospital gates. Mrs Thomas also took off after her. She eventually caught her outside the hospital, panting seriously.
"God has failed me, Mrs Thomas you 've been saying it all these years but I never believed you.", Mrs Thomas just stood there dumbstruck. "That boy was my light, now my husband's family members will have a genuine reason to chase me out of their son's house. And God takes Him away just like that, it is finished. God, I never knew you are this cruel..." Ajoke continued her weepy diatribe.
Mrs Thomas gently pulled her up leading her back through the hospital hallway without saying a word, they got to where they had been waiting before only to see that the head surgeon was still there transfixed at the mother's weird behaviour.
"You don't have to tell me anything, I already know Doc", Ajoke sobbed.
"You already know what ma'am? You mean you already know that when we checked up your son's head, we discovered he didn't actually need surgery? You mean you already know that the nurses are in there quickly cleaning him up and bandaging his wounds? You mean you already know that he does not even need to be admitted here and all you need do is buy him some drugs and you can take him home?"
Ajoke jumped up and screamed at the top of her voice, "My God is goooooood", only the janitor passing by answered, "all the time." The doctor had left and Mrs Thomas just stared.
"You don't have to tell me anything, I already know Doc", Ajoke sobbed.
"You already know what ma'am? You mean you already know that when we checked up your son's head, we discovered he didn't actually need surgery? You mean you already know that the nurses are in there quickly cleaning him up and bandaging his wounds? You mean you already know that he does not even need to be admitted here and all you need do is buy him some drugs and you can take him home?"
Ajoke jumped up and screamed at the top of her voice, "My God is goooooood", only the janitor passing by answered, "all the time." The doctor had left and Mrs Thomas just stared.
This is a moment for deep thoughts. If you were in AJ's shoes, what would you have done? What would you have said? Many months ago, Pastor(dad) told us a story that challenged me and is still challenging me. It's the story of a woman who had just lost her husband. Pastor was the one who helped in taking the man's body and the wife away from the hospital. He was at the wheels driving, the wife was seated beside him at the front with the body at the back seat. From the hospital to where they were taking the man to, one song was on replay on the woman's lips, "Sibe Oluwa dara, bo ti wu ko ri o. Idamu aye le po, sibe Oluwadara". (The Lord is good no matter what). When I remember this story, I imagine the woman, the kind of inner strength that made her able to stay calm in that situation. What made her sing that song over and over again at the worst moment of her life...
God wants us to grow to that stage where we don't judge Him faithful because of the things He has done and the ones he hasn't, a point when we Know Assuredly that He is Faithful regardless of situations and circumstances because His Name is Faithful (Revelations 19:11). Job somehow caught this reality, have you? It's okay to cry, it's okay to mourn but don't give the devil the pleasure of hearing you say uncanny things about God. Victory is recognising and admitting the faithfulness of God even in the midst of tribulations. You will come out like gold, tried and purified.
Job 13:15a
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:".
JesusCaresAndSoDoI- TiToluwaNiMi.
God wants us to grow to that stage where we don't judge Him faithful because of the things He has done and the ones he hasn't, a point when we Know Assuredly that He is Faithful regardless of situations and circumstances because His Name is Faithful (Revelations 19:11). Job somehow caught this reality, have you? It's okay to cry, it's okay to mourn but don't give the devil the pleasure of hearing you say uncanny things about God. Victory is recognising and admitting the faithfulness of God even in the midst of tribulations. You will come out like gold, tried and purified.
Job 13:15a
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:".
JesusCaresAndSoDoI- TiToluwaNiMi.
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