STIRRED WATERS (Ep. 1 – UNATTENDED)

“—and they waited for the moving of the waters. From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had.” John 5:3-4

“There is someone here. The Lord told me that He has heard your prayers. You lost your job three months ago and since then, you have applied for jobs without feedback. The Lord said I should tell you that an end has come to your search. By this time next week, you will be called for an interview at a multinational organization. If you are the one, please step forward.”

 Ade sat and watched as a young lady ran to the altar.

“Pastor!! It is me! I am the one! Ah! I am the one!” She was crying.

The Pastor comforted her. “Don’t cry, my sister. The Lord has heard your cry. You will come back with testimonies, by the grace of God.”

Ade was almost disgusted. It was as though he was invisible. Did God see him? Was he an abandoned child? Was he doing something wrong? He attended programs in person and online, paying attention, hoping that his case would be mentioned, but to no avail.

…

Pastor Ebenezer sat on the bed crying. He knew he had not trusted the Lord enough. But how could he? There was no way anyone could have been present with such a condition. No way.

But there was someone who had been out of job for three months, wasn’t there?

He heard the Spirit of God clearly.

“There was, Lord. But that was relatively straightforward. Even without hearing your voice, I could have guessed that there was someone in the congregation would fit that description. There are some things I can handle on my own at this stage of my ministry.”

As he said those words, he knew he had spoken out of turn.

“Lord Jesus, I am sorry. Please I am sorry. I did not mean it that way. Please, dear Lord, have mercy on me!”

There was no response. Ebenezer knew he had messed up.

…

The ax boasted, “I made the tree fall. I made the tree fall! Without me, the tree would still be standing.” As it went on, the master arrived. Shaking his head, he spoke, “But can the ax boast greater power than the person who uses it? Is the saw greater than the person who saws? Can a rod strike unless a hand moves it? Can a wooden cane walk by itself?”

Ebenezer, you are a vessel, a conduit, a channel; you are not the source. Never forget.

“I will never forget, Lord. I will never forget.”

…

Ebenezer woke up sweating. “I will never forget, Lord. I will never forget.”

…

Ade’s phone rang.

“Bro. Ade! Good afternoon. It is me. I am the one knocking at your gate. The people at the bakery opposite your compound said you have not stepped out today. Please come and open the gate.”

Ade shook his head. He wondered about the reason for Kevin’s visit, but he was thankful for the heads up. He didn’t want to imagine what would happen if anyone entered his apartment without notification. He couldn’t even imagine the aftermath.

As Ade opened the gate, Kevin jumped on him. “God has done it for me o! Bro. Ade, God has done it for me. When I was worried and couldn’t sleep, He was working behind the scenes o. Tobechukwu! He has done it for me ooo. I have gotten the scholarship. It is fully funded! Ah. God has answered our prayers. The Lord is good and kind to us. Thank you so much for your prayers, sir. You are a gift from God.”

Closing the door, Ade took off his shirt. People usually say that when your friends and family members are experiencing miracles, it means that God is in the neighbourhood and your miracle would come soon. Well, God had been in his neighbourhood for years, yet He had not gotten to His apartment. Or did God pass him over? Was his case beyond redemption? Was he suffering from the sin of his parents? Things were getting worse, and he didn’t know what to do.

He looked at his armpits and the feathers were getting thicker. He had shaved, applied different creams, and taken several medication, but to no effect. Sadly, it seemed that the feathers were beginning to also appear on his chest. He was tired of living.

…

About a hundred kilometres, Pastor Ebenezer saw a man with feathers on his body in a vision. It was the same vision he had seen during the program, but which he refused to speak about. He sighed. “Lord, have mercy”.

… For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19