Isaac Boluwatise: June 2010

Oftentimes I am amazed at Christians. We run around busy with the mundane all the time and expect a miracle at the point of crisis. We’ve been taught not to expect problems, but to daydream the good. To talk about the likelihood of some crisis, they suggest, is like romancing with the devil. So we talk the good, think the good, isn’t it?

But what happens the day problems come? Many are of the opinion that some miracle will happen.

Miracles don’t just come like that. We must be prepared for whatever comes, so that we can come out triumphantly in such situations.

This reminds me of the night many years back. My wife was heavily pregnant. She had gone to bed that night while I stayed up to work. Because of the power situation in the country, we were running on the generator that night.

It was towards 1 am that she came to ask me to shut down my notebook and power off the gen. Apart from my need to rest, according to her, the generator also needed time off.

To make sure that I will not continue working, she tailed me to the back of the house to ensure compliance. Imagine!

As the noise from the gen was trailing off, another thunderous bang sounded. I stopped in my tracks and asked her “what on earth was that”. The next thing was a great surprise. How she generated the energy with her heavy pregnancy to leap for me and pull me into the house is still a matter of surprise.

Armed robbers were operating in the neighborhood!

The sound of their shots was deafening.

One of our differences is that I love the blinds drawn when it is night, but the other way round with her. But the moment we got in, she attacked the window blinds and pronto, she was on the bed. She was on the bed with her side to, but miles away from, the headboard which was towards the window.

Having no other option, I got into the bed sleeping sideways close to the window she had chosen to abhor at least for that night.

All the while the deafening shots continued to reverberate. But immediately, I slept off.

Then came another shot, sounding so close, as if lodging into the wall to my side.
I woke up rolling away from my side of the bed, asking questions again.

The woman was livid with anger, wondering how on earth I could trail off to sleep like that. She was starring at the ceiling and sweating profusely, both from the heat and much more from fear.

I had to engage her in discussion, to deflect her mind from what was up in the neighborhood.

What exactly do you want me to do? I quizzed.

No response.

Maybe you’d like me to arm myself with a kitchen knife to ward off the armed robbers?

Silence still.

Suddenly, the explosive boom of the guns came back, but this time complemented by the weak clatter of other guns.

“That must be the police”, I said.

“Is there anything they can do; can’t you hear the weak sound of their dane guns” she retorted.

If you think there is nothing these armed cops can do, what do you expect me to do?
“I wonder what kind of human would and why someone should sleep under this condition”, she jibed.

I can sleep, I told her, for The Lord has enlightened my eyes and I am not sleeping the sleep of death (Ps. 13.3); for “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet (Ecc. 5.12), “for so he gives His beloved sleep” (Ps.12.2).

I sleep for I understand that unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that builds it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain (Ps. 127.1).

Now these scriptures came out in a torrent to give her a basis for my relaxation and to encourage her to relax.

As believers we must learn to arm ourselves with the word of God with consideration for all the crises around.

The word of God, James said, is able to save your soul. (jam. 1.21). I sure love that.

But, we must understand, first thing first.

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Tuesday, June 22

“I Wonder What Kind Of Human Would And Why Someone Should Sleep Under This Condition”.

Sunday, June 20

Truth Is Like The Sun

By Three Method We May Learn Wisdom

Jesus, what a wonder you are

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