Dipo Olowookere
By Nneka Okumazie
Serving an all-powerful God for genuine Christians, yet failing, or facing challenges, or disappointments, or grief, or sorrows, is often a junction of decisions.
One of the advantages of true Christianity is divine guidance. However, everything can fall apart, no matter how much persistence, or all the right things done to not make things fail.
At these low points, it is often like where is the Almighty God? What was done to deserve this? Whatever it was, is the blood of Jesus not powerful to save?
There are disdainers everywhere. Those certain prayers don’t work. There are voices from everywhere, options of shortcuts, strange spiritualties and detours to prevent shame.
But the Lord advises His people to be of good cheer, to hold on, to be strong and have faith. So answers or not, lessons learned or not, patience or not, delayed happiness or not, seeming shame or not, sorrows or not, ridiculers or not, the Lord wants His people to abide with Him.
Does the Lord God not understand how rough things can get? Does He not see what lack, pain, loss, or what the wicked does? What exactly is going on?
Science, Economics, Language, Psychology and Arts
Because of the supernatural being in Christianity: who has all the answers, sees all, ageless and matchless, it is okay to question all the answers or knowledge of Him, and really want to spite Him, if things are bad, or because of injustice, or when He does not seem to show up as expected – in some situations.
But everyone forgets that life itself and most of everything that is, is mysterious. No matter the studies and educations, books, libraries, thoughts, conversations, everything, life is full of things we do not know yet or understand. (known-unknown and unknown-unknown).
Science has done well, but if you look at neuroscience, or astronomy, or atmospheric science, or geology, or geography, biology, or chemistry, or physics, there are so many fuzzy areas. There are so many things that seems answered, but really – aren’t.
There are so many questions that experts can’t answer and one can’t force them to elevate the limits of science. Hence, the infinite cycles of studies and, experiments – seeking answers and solutions.
Language is complex-complicated, fuzzy. There are stuffs that seem normal, but there are tons of unanswered questions in language studies, including certain etymologies.
There are national economies that have defied prognosticated economic paths. There are too many bends in psychology, where the unexpected buoys the expected; where the unknown takes precedent; where the uncommon, the unnatural and the unpalatable takes the wheel.
There are studies on studies in diverse areas of psychology. It sheds light and gives answers, cure and predictions but there are so many things that defy those – massively and marginally. There are, many times, no answers to further questions.
Art is as life, different areas of it. But the success of arts no matter how similar to the successful, or tailored by the book, or whatever, is yet to be fully understood.
The Sovereign God
The scriptures are there as a template of the Almighty God, Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. What their principles are, what their expectations are, what their roles are, how they show up, how they help, how they might delay or teach lessons.
James, the brother of John, was killed by King Herod. He took Peter, but unceasing prayers were made for Peter, an angel of God rescued Peter.
Why would the angel of God save Peter, and not James? Was there no care that the folks of James would be worried or depressed that the Lord did not save? Does it mean prayers were not made for James, or if they were made, were they not answered?
This is the human pattern where there are so many questions for God, His decisions, and how most times people try to understand everything about Him – at once, but can never act the same way for science.
There are scientific experiments or studies that answers are only found after years. There are some that no solution or answer is found, but trials continue – while making do with palliatives.
What if there are answers in revelations about the Lord God, with people, places, situations or communities that can only be seen or understood, later on? What if there are lessons to be learned? What if something worse was being prevented? What if the answer is not clear but He, as the all-knowing, knows why and knows best?
Faith and Hope in Christ is with a lot of patience. God is not physical so, physical rules don’t apply to Him. Yes, some people don’t believe in God, His existence or power, okay. But they know there are spiritualties, fortune-tellers, dark magic, evil temples, etc. Some of them believe in those and use them.
Yet, they do not believe there is a spirit of truth or act obliviously – maybe because they think the fruits of the spirit are hard, or because answers may or may not come, as they wish to remote control it.
However, God is real. God is a spirit. Christ Jesus came to the earth and the Holy Spirit is with His people. Answers may come to some prayers or may not. Bad luck may be as the waters. Disposition towards sin may be rifer than righteousness. Hate, wickedness and evil may be the main menu for life.
But Christians are the children of God and are expected to stick with Him, no matter the situation. Yes, some are with Him, but have lost their Faith, because the thing they feared happened. Tough, hard, difficult and bad, but the Lord GOD can be strength still – at the lowest points.
RCCG, Adeboye and Daddy Freeze
RCCG and Pastor Adeboye had been doing their thing, minding their business for years, until recently when some of their Pastors took political positions, and when social media became the loudspeaker of grievances.
They pray, worship, have faith, admonish themselves, hope on the Lord, try to proselytize people with promise for a changed life – with character and God’s mercy, etc. Yet, a terrible cyclone of hate formed against the church, led by a radio presenter, who saw them as the enemy.
He was not a member of the church. There is nothing that connects the church to poverty. They are not responsible for income, purchasing power, or the conditions of living of the poor. The church has a different role. Yet, they are scorned, mocked, ridiculed and shamed.
It may be appropriate to ask similar questions about where God is, especially when it is clear that all these fabrications and lies, against the Church are unfair. However, some questions are God’s to answer.
Sometimes, when in deep-deep distress, there may not be any better prayer than: saviour please just save me; or, O Lord God, please just show me tender mercy and great compassion.
Philippians 2:27, “For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.”
2 Timothy 1:16, “May the Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus because he frequently gave me help, and had no feeling of shame because I was in chains.”
James 5:11, “See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord: the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”
