Category: Expectations

I feel like Lazarus!

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This morning I got up feeling a little like Lazarus. Lazarus was one of Jesus’ friends. Some day he was unwell and his sisters sent for Jesus to heal him. Jesus then waited until Lazarus died before He even began the journey to his home. Imagine that? By the time He arrived, Lazarus was not only dead but buried and rotting. I am not unwell however there are some things I am praying for and it looks like God’s taking His time.

There are moments in our lives when we go through similar experiences like Lazarus’. We ask God to show up in our lives and it appears He’s decided to do nothing or attend to other things first. You want to stop and ask “No pressure Father but, I’m still here waiting… remember what we spoke about…?”

A parallel event happened with the Son of God when He was arrested. Jesus did not pray to be delivered, although He said that God could send help to rescue Him from those who were about to kill Him. Rather He waited until He was beaten, bruised, crucified, pierced , dead and buried. Three days later, the Son of God rose from the dead! Amazing! You see there was a purpose for His suffering. If God had rescued Jesus, we would have no Saviour today. There are some things we must pass through if we are to grow in certain ways. You do not expect muscles without resistance training. If Jesus had healed Lazarus, he would have missed out on his resurrection and God and Christ would have missed out on the  glory, honour and thanksgiving that followed because men came to see what God had done – the man He raised from the dead. Therefore there is a purpose for this season. There is a my answer as well as glory, honour, praise and thanksgiving for Him.

I know He’s still teaching me to confidently trust, wait on and obey Him through this. We do not always receive immediate answers to prayers however it is not that He has not heard but that He’s working out something bigger than our request. Lazarus asked for healing, he received a resurrection! If I am patient, I will receive His answer to my request.

So what do you do if like me you are going through a ‘Lazarus experience’? Only believe. Continue to pray, trust and wait. He may not be working to your schedule but have peace in you because He loves you. God loves you. He’s working things out for your good according to His purpose. Hold on to His word- If you ask anything in my name, I will do it (John 14:14) and if you abide in me and my word abides in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you (John15:8). Keep the faith – Let him ask in faith without doubting (James 1:6).

Sometimes He takes His time (from our point of view) but He makes all things beautiful in His time.

Rest He’s on it xx

You will find Lazarus’s Story in John 11:1-44

©2010 Arielle Ajibade

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Who is DAGRIN?

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I didn’t know who he was until “RIP DAGRIN” appeared all over facebook today and this inspired this post. Dagrin is a young Nigerian rapper who recently made it to limelight. There had been speculations about whether he was still alive or dead. According to allafrica.com, rapper Da Grin survived a terrible accident involving a truck on Wednesday, which left him unconscious. He was hospitalised and operated upon at a Lagos hospital however today, he was confirmed dead following surgery by Gidi Noize. His official facebook page is full of messages from fans who are clearly sad and shocked over his death. “Life’s so short” one said. A comment by a fan also read “he just started making money”. My sincere condolences goes to his family, friends and fans.
This life indeed is short (compared to the one to come) and sometimes, we need events like this to remind us that time respects no man. My brother made a statement today that touched me: “Time is what we have now, when time ends, eternity will begin”. For those that do not believe in life after death, well you need not worry about the rest of what I’m about to say but if you believe “the meek shall inherit the earth”, you are really blessed because like me we have hope that goes beyond this short life.
I recently had a drastic hair cut to which I received mixed reactions. Some asked me why on earth I did this. “Erm, because I wanted to” I responded. You may not like what I look like now but to me it was more than a haircut although I do like my new look. I’ve wondered what I would look like for a while but fear of how it would turn out kept me from the barbers. I finally decided to do it afraid and I set a date. My thought was if it turns out bad then I’ll invest in a really good wig to cover it up! God always makes a way doesn’t He?
I am not saying I can do whatever I like or live as I wish or go about seeking personal pleasures to fulfil. What I am saying is, do not let fear stop you from being all that you can be because you do not know how long you have. God has a plan for my life and it’s BIG because He does not do small things. This applies to every one of us. There is a purpose for every life. And a place for every person in His kingdom irrespective of where you are from or what limitations you think you have. If you think you have limitations, check out Nick Vujicic. The first plan He has is for us to have eternal life through Jesus Christ. He also desires that we live a full life in Him and to fulfil purpose. Jesus said, He came that we might live an abundant full life (John 10:10) . So whatever He has placed in your hands or heart to do, do it with all your heart, soul and body.
You may only live this life once, and when you are gone (unless you are resurrected because God still does miracles), you cannot return to do those things you were designed to do. Whatever dreams/goals/assignments He has placed in your hands/heart, now is the time to do it. Now is the season. Today is all you have tomorrow is not promised to you but the hope of tomorrow should keep you moving forward.
You probably may have heard this before about how God has a plan for you and has designed your for purpose but I realise that if you are like me who tends to forget or get distracted, it is always helpful to have a reminder. So here it goes: Please do not neglect your gift. Remember to fan your gift into flame. Do get rid of every excuse you think you have, your limitations are God’s opportunities for glory. Forget the past because He’s taken care of it. Look ahead. Run now with the vision He gave you.
In the life to come, there are no goals no dreams but how you live this one will determine how and where you live in eternity. For the one who does not know the saving grace of Jesus Christ, this is where you start – believe in Him. All have fallen short in God’s standard but Christ has paid the price for us and given us a standing. If you live without Jesus in this life, you will live without Him for eternity. If you already know Christ, then live for Him now and always – fulfil your purpose.
Keep the faith xx