The Lord brought my Soup!
I have shared this testimony some years back on my online talk page and I promised someone who missed it I’d share it again this morning on the blog. Like David, this testimony (and the recent testimony of how God restored my health-which is narrated in my blog post “When the Doctor says No“), stand as my own ‘I have overcome the bear and the lion, this uncircumcised Philistine wouldn’t be different’. God’s faithfulness is sure. We can depend absolutely on His faithfulness.
Many years back as an undergraduate, I had the priviledge of having my own private accommodation outside the school hostels. I didn’t really like the campus accommodation for more than one reason; shared rooms, dirty rest/shower rooms, shared and very small cooking areas, etc etc. A personal room was private and more suiting of my personality at the time I think. Not that I could afford to rent one myself, The Lord miraculously gave me a free room most of my university days through my Uncle (God bless him). So I wasn’t really born with a silver spoon. My Uncle practically trained me through school-tuition, books, allowances, etc etc. God bless him again. But you see, sometimes, even as would happen with a rich child, my supplies ran out-toiletries, provisions, groceries, etc etc.
Like most Nigerians, I was brought up eating mostly a Nigerian staple food- garri (processed from cassava). Many Nigerian households survive on garri, it’s filling and you only require a bowl of soup to stay full and sustained for hours.
It was Saturday morning, I was in my room and there was drought; my supplies had ran out, totally out. My beverages, cereals, biscuits, everything was gone! But not my garri, I had a handful of garri somewhere in the room.
Not that this was the first time this would happen, but for some reason, I was greatly vexed in my spirit. I was angry, not with my parents, Uncle or anyone else, I was upset that God would constantly let my supply run out! I prayed out loud and told God, He had to send me soup that day, as I was not going to try to ask anyone for food, visit anyone (hoping they feed me), or even go home (to my Uncle’s house). I needed a miracle, period!
So the whole day, I sat at my table studying my big medical books, occasionally reminding God that I was waiting for Him to show up with my soup. And it wasn’t a small wait! I was hungry, I was fagged out and I was tired. There was temptation to just discard this miracle/faith chase and simply ‘soak’ the garri and drink it. But I didn’t. I didn’t really also know how to speak ‘faith’ words at the time, or how to give so as to receive, but I’ve been enjoying a close intimate relationship with God and I was certain He existed.
It was not until about 16.00 hours that someone knocked at my door. I delayed in answering the door, upset that the response to my request was coming too late. But then, I told myself to check who’s at the door first 🙂 To my utter surprise one of my aunt’s was standing by the door with a big bowl in her hand. Her house was about 30 minute’s drive from my room. Sorry to say that at the time, I was not particularly close to this aunt. So you understand my surprise. What was she doing here? It was after I let her into the room and welcomed her warmly, that she explained that she felt in her spirit to bring me some soup as she cooked that afternoon. I thanked her immensely and she left. That was the last time she visited.
The Lord showed up with my soup!!!
There are so many things I do not know about God, so many things I am discovering about God as I walk with Him daily. But I know for sure; that God is faithful- it is His nature, He cannot be otherwise. He is faithful, He is merciful and He is a Covenant Keeper.
“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” Deuteronomy 7: 9 NKJV.
Many times, Christians speak about faith as if it’s some religious ceremony. What is faith? Faith is the substance of our belief. Faith is Christian living. Faith is Evidence. Faith is Believing and Seeing. Faith is Now! (Hebrews 11:1). Faith was me fixing my eyes on my bowl of soup until it showed up (and oh! I need to take on many more faith projects to continue to enjoy the fullness of The Blessing).
You know, faith can be easy and yet difficult. It is easy to speak faith, but it can be challenging to patiently wait until the substance of it becomes evident. The beauty in it all though is that while you wait, your spiritual muscles are strengthened, you move some rungs in the ladder of your faith walk and more importantly for me, you build memorials of God’s faithfulness for your future walk as your the object of your faith becomes physical.
So I ask you today- Where is your focus? Who is your source? Where will the refill of your supply come from? If you answer “from a known man” to any of the above, then I say to you; ‘you are of all men most miserable‘. Man will fail and fade, but not God.
