The Goodness of God

When I think of the year 2017, my memory floods with the adversities I experienced while I was unemployed. It was in 2017 I discovered the bliss of custard; it was also the period that Goodluck Jonathan’s cassava bread agenda finally bore fruit and could be found in major supermarkets like Shoprite. My go to meal each day was cassava bread and custard while I managed whatever little funds I had to pay for fuel for my car and the generator amongst other bills. On numerous occasions, I would spend the afternoon at Nevada Hotel’s bar just so I could charge my phone and laptop ahead of another marathon of job applications. So, imagine my dismay when I was invited for an interview at an e-commerce company and I didn’t have the funds to buy fuel, thank God for an ex-colleague that lent me money. Or when I had to go to church on a Sunday and my tank was in reserve, somehow God got the car and I to church and back.

It was in this period that I found my way back to God once again. Nothing like a period of adversity to make you draw closer to God (James 4:8, NKJV). After interviewing with the e-commerce company, I was called back for a few more interviews, even got to the point of sending my payslips and all. Then radio silence. The pain from the disappointment was indescribable. At the same time, my rent was due, more bills. Somehow, God provided for me and made a way for me in the wilderness (Is. 43:19 NKJV; 41:18, NKJV). Out of nowhere, I got a call from a company I had never heard of to attend an interview. Imagine my shock when I found out that I was referred by the final interviewer from the e-commerce company that gave me radio silence. God is good! You would think by now that my hope was restored, and my faith strengthened. Nope! Instead, I fell further into despair as I wasn’t sure if I could deal with the disappointment of another rejection. To top it, my savings had fully dried up and as I told my guy “I no get two 50naira notes (or $0.15) to rub together”. It was in this moment that I learnt that even in the darkest valley, God is with us. One hot afternoon, of course there was no light, the Holy Spirit reminded me of Joshua 1:9, NKJV: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” The first part of the verse “Have I not commanded you” hit me like a bolt of lightning. It was as if I was reading the verse for the first time. That verse along with Ps. 118:15-16, NKJV became my battle cry. Within one week of doing the interview, this unknown company gave me a job offer with a resumption date set for just a few weeks later. It was like a dream; my captivity of unemployment had been turned around (Ps. 126:1, NKJV).

Fast forward to 2019, I had been working for a few years and also entered a new phase of life 😊. Anyways, new phase, new battle. This time, I was also responsible for another adult. Mhen what a trying phase. The old problems of lack of funds came up again. Not too long before this period, there was a particular song reigning called “Able God” and one of the key lines in the chorus goes: Shower your blessings, we want this money. It was a street anthem and spoke to so many of us experiencing the pains of insufficient funds (ATM oh!!!). Going through this period, anything I could sell, I sold. TV I was given as a gift, sold. Iphone, sold. Every credit alert at the end of the month was instantly followed by two debit alerts from loans I had taken to survive. Times were tough, and then came Covid. No savings, and my company started talking about salary cuts. Then came job cuts. Every call from HR was as nerve wracking as the next. Somehow, God brought me through these times. And He did it by His valiant right hand (Ps. 118:15, NKJV).

Amid Covid, I developed a desire to go on an MBA program. One that I didn’t have the funds for. But guess what? God has being faithful. The bible says “a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (I Cor. 16:9, NKJV). This was certainly my case but through it all, God was faithful and everything I needed, He provided. Did the devil stop trying to prevent me from walking through this door? Nope! In fact, a day or two after I applied for a study visa, Nigeria was added to the red list. Throughout the peak of the pandemic, when the traffic light system was used, Nigeria wasn’t on that list to the best of my knowledge and my limited google search lol. But here I was, visa pending, and now a red list. Romans 5:3-5, NKJV and James 1:2-4, NKJV talk about counting it joy when we go through trials and tribulations. Isn’t that crazy? It says so because just as gold is purified through fire, so do we as children of God develop and get refined. Thanks to all the previous trials and tribulations, we had developed the knowledge that God never fails, and we were able to trust in Him. Despite the red list, our visa came out on time (Glory to God) and a few days after, the red list was abolished. Cue a manic one-week period to book a flight, dispose of our possessions, take the Covid test and say goodbye to family and friends. All this was made possible thanks to the goodness of God. The same God that did it for me, can do it for you. Nahum 1:7, NKJV says: The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him. I am a testament to His goodness and if He has being good to me, He will surely be good to you, even in the darkest moments of life. Trust in Him! He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8).

 

P.S. Here are 23 verses that you can read about the goodness of God.

P.P.S. This is a song that has blessed me: Nothing like your presence- William McDowell ft. Travis Greene & Nathaniel Bassey

Photo cred: 23 Verses

For God So Loved: An Easter Message

“For God so loved”

Going into this Easter break, I wasn’t sure if I would have any Easter message to share. But while reading my YouVersion devotion of the day (15^th April), the opening text (see quote above) of John 3:16 leapt out to me. The beauty of studying the bible is that you will always learn something new or gain a new perspective to verses you’ve previously read.

While reading the verse, it seemed like God felt a need to explain why He did what He did. He’s the almighty God and from what I know about people in power, they don’t believe there is a need to burden themselves with explanations for their actions. Merely asking for an explanation could get you in trouble or in the ancient times, imprisoned. But God did and His explanation was succinctly captured in four words: For God so loved! And because of this love, He was willing to sacrifice His only begotten son.

As children of God, the bible on numerous occasions talks about love and its importance. When the religious leaders of the day were looking for a means to implicate Jesus, they asked Him what the greatest commandment was, and guess what, His answer illustrated the importance of love. He gave them two answers: the first was to love God and the second was to love our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12:28-34). His answer was so perfect that no one dared ask another question. But why is love so important? I daresay that it is because when we love, we will go beyond our selfish desires to help others to the point of sacrificing for them. In this scenario, love is not just a noun but a verb and forms the foundation to explain why we do what we do. Take for example a parent and their baby. Because of the love they have for their baby, they would go to any length to make sure the child is cared for and protected. One too many times, we hear stories of actions parents undertook that defy logic but because of the love they have for their child, they sacrificially did whatever it took. If it were an accident, they would be searching for a means of escape for the child instead of themselves or if it were an attack, use themselves as a shield even when there is no hope of fending off the attacker. But that’s what love does. It makes you go beyond yourself to care for the needs of others and that’s what God was showcasing through the death of His son. That He is willing to go to any lengths to bring us closer to Him and take care of us.

When we think of heroes of the bible, Abraham’s name tends to be the first on the list. Why? Because he loved God so much that he trusted him to the point of sacrificing a child that he had waited on for years (Heb. 11:17-19). Imagine the struggle he would have faced to carry out such an action and it will give you an idea of how difficult it must have been for God to sacrifice His son. Even the great Apostle Paul struggled to understand the logic behind the action and debated on the reasoning before ending up with the simple answer “For God so loved” (Rom. 5:8). If we never got the explanation that preceded the action of John 3:16, we may still be clueless as to the reasoning behind the action. But God being God knew that by giving us this context, He also provided a template for His children to follow in their interaction with others. The parable of the Good Samaritan sheds light on how we should live as Christians (Luke 10:25-37).

There is not enough that can be said about God’s love for us, but the bible captures it all and when you read it, you’d be amazed about the recklessness of God’s love. His love is so great that when one of us returns to Him by giving our lives to God, heaven throws a party (Luke 15:7). The parables of Luke 15 let us know the joy God feels when we accept His love and return home to Him. This Easter season, I’m here to tell you that God loves you and He loves you so much that He will do anything for you. Accept His love and come home to him (Rev. 3:20), nothing would make Him happier. And as you do so, I charge you to love God and to love your neighbour as yourself. Happy Easter!

 

P.S. In keeping with the tradition of previous posts, here are two songs that speak powerfully about God’s love for us:

Jireh- Elevation Worship and Maverick City

Reckless Love- Cory Asbury

 

Photo Cred: YouVersion