‘Nah I must be hearing evil voices, kadadadayamase. I bind and cast into the bottomless pit every demon on assignment to truncate my destiny. Oya be destroyed, roast by the anointing. Pack and go! Melt! Be shattered by the rock of ages’.
A man is seen pacing back and forth a room devoid of sunlight with curtains draped and a misty smell. He apparently just woke up from sleep; sweating, hungry and definitely not in the mood for this kind of weirdness. He hears again…
‘Son, I want you to get dressed, go to the town of … and pray for Saul’
He slides down in disbelief with his hands grasping his jaw. He twists and turns his beard whilst trying to get an explanation for this daylight dream. ‘No, it can’t be…’
‘Son, I want you to go and pray for Saul, who was persecuting me’
‘ Which Saul?’
‘SAUL of Tarsus’
Option 1:
‘God forbid! Biko send me for a better mission. Tell me to travel to respectable cities like Apostle{insert name}.
Let me spit forth fire and path seas. Let people tremble when they see me. Abeg who he epp? I am even too stressed to start dressing up for only one person. I refuse to look like a betrayer to my fellow Christians.
Option 2:
‘Lord, this is the last thing I was expecting, but if it is your will, I would go’.
Years later, a man is seen among prisoners on transit on an Island. A viper grabs hold of his hand and he utters no words but shakes it into the fire. The people stand in awe and say to themselves that he must be a god. As if that is not even enough, he steps out in faith to heal one person after which he ends up having a healing crusade where every sick person is healed. He would later foster the growth of Christianity through his many letters and fervent preaching of the gospel.
I can’t help asking this: What would have happened had Ananias not prayed for Saul? Well, maybe God would’ve raised up someone else, but what about the blessings that come with obedience?
This past week, I have learned more than ever that a simple act of obedience that looks like you are reaching only one/two persons can end up having the greatest impact/blessing. I have also learned that impact is not measured in quantity or the numbers we see. It has a spiritual dimension and except God opens your eyes to see you may never know. So there is no need comparing what someone else is accomplishing with yours. Stick to your calling, stick to your ministry. Keep pushing, keep growing, and impact one person one day at a time and then one day, when you wake up from sleep and God tells you to do something that seems “unfathomable”, just obey, without justifying disobedience.
*who he epp – of what benefit is he?
PS: I am entirely okay if only one person reads this and is blessed.
God bless you Oreva for being such a blessing to me.
Photo credit- source: google images