Understanding the Ways of God.

Recently, my husband and I went to Lagos Island for a business appointment on a day when it was raining heavily. If we have not been novices returning to Lagos after a long time away, perhaps we would have been better prepared or opted to stay at home to avoid the stress we subsequently experienced.

Getting to Lagos Island was okay, apart from some flash floods in certain areas that we encountered. We left the Island at 4 pm hoping to get home on time. It was on the way back that we faced problems with traffic spending some 4 hours on the 3rd Mainland Bridge, which is one of the bridges that link Lagos Island with the mainland. 

Getting stuck in traffic, we encouraged ourselves that this was normal and that living in Lagos needs embracing traffic issues once a while whether one likes it or not. 

Listening to the traffic news in the car, we decided to follow a route suggested by the Traffic Radio. There is an area on this particular route that is renowned for violence and theft. We avoid passing through this area during the day talk less at night but for the reason that we were supposed to be off the road by 10 pm when the COVID curfew begins.  

We got to Oshodi at 9.15 pm when the car developed a problem; the battery sign on the dashboard lit up. We looked around and prayed that God would not let the car breakdown but take us home. Despite all the pleas we made to God, the dreaded thing happened. 

We parked the car by the roadside. But despite being on the right side of a concrete demarcated road, we still had vehicles coming towards us light-bearing as if they will run into us. We therefore had our hazard lights on. It was a scary experience. 

Different thoughts and questions went through my mind. “Why did this have to happen to us?” “Why did God allow us to leave the house?” “Is God punishing us because we had sinned?” Etc.

Amid these thoughts, my husband was finding out what went wrong with the car and to call for help. By 10 pm, a friend joined us, together, we managed to find a gated yard to put the car in to be picked up the next day. 

when I got home, I revisited what happened in my mind and I was amazed at what God told me. He told me that the journey to Lagos Island was to claim our possession and that was why the enemy put discouragement our way.

He reminded me about what happened to Abraham in the Bible when God promised him the land he will possess. Abraham took this seriously by communing with God and building altars to claim what God promised him. But Abraham faced some challenges, they took his wife and everything he had. That happened more than once! He faced famine, persecution etc. Who knows about other challenges not recorded.

A few days later, I was sharing our experience with a friend, who waited for me to finish and said, “You might have thought that God was not with you but are you aware that when you were speaking in tongues, you had already called the Holy Spirit down?”

Thinking about what she said, a lightbulb went on in my head and put everything into perspective. We were upset because the car broke down, but God came down to protect us.  

I give glory to God that throughout the experience in a rough area and at night nobody harassed us. Instead, passersby took pity on us. It was apparent that God was at work. Wherever we are, no matter how scary it becomes, God is always there with us. Isaiah 43:1-2.

What does claiming your portion mean? – It means claiming the inheritance that the Lord has in store for us. God has set aside many blessings for us, however, we need to put in some work to possess them. God will not offer them on a silver plate all the time. Isaac met opposition in the land of Gerar, but the Lord instructed him to stay put to obtain what was his. He obeyed God and prospered. (Genesis 26)

Next time we go and claim what God has promised us, we should go prepared.

Remain Blessed