STAND FIRM by Kofo Boboye

Iofficially interrupt summer festivities to inform you that all has not (yet) been going too well. There’s only so much I can share here, but I suppose God has been and is still fighting my battles; I’m just waiting to win the war.

Over the last few weeks, after hearing a couple of sermons and realising that, for a perfectionist, my spiritual life was lacking, I decided to move prayer up my priority list.

As a morning person, I commit my most important tasks to this time of day. If I have an essay to write, I’ll usually have it done by 11am. So, I started taking my devotional time more seriously: I dedicated half an hour in the morning to read and reflect. As if she had been spoken to by the Holy Spirit, my mum also suggested that we move our Bible study to the mornings. Thus, as planned, every morning, we would read at least a chapter in the Bible; reflect on it; draw out prayer points from it, and pray together.

I imagined that as soon as I started praying every morning and asking for the Holy Spirit, things would ameliorate. But no, they didn’t; they got harder. The amount of breakdowns I was having increased (drastically), and Mr Comparison, the absolute thief of joy, kicked in like a flu jab.

It’s interesting that whilst all of this was happening, I was reading the Book of Job. If you’re not familiar with the story, Job essentially loses everything: kids, wealth and peace of mind. Yet he refused to denounce his faith in God. Forty long chapters later - imagine how long it must have felt for Job, who was actually living through it - Job has everything restored… and double the amount.

Job 42:12-15 says: ‘The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters,and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.’ However you choose to define success, what God gave Job in the latter years of his life would certainly suffice!

Part of growing up in this generation has meant that we’ve become accustomed to quick fixes and, when these solutions don’t work or aren’t sustainable enough, a problem arises. In the same way, I expected that once I’d started praying and reading my Bible more, the Red Sea would miraculously part before me. I’m not disputing that miracles happen - after all, I am one! :) - but before this happened, the Israelites had endured generations of injustice under the Egyptians. Also, notice that the devil is quite clever, and tempts people who are literally at the cusp of their breakthrough.

Jesus had fasted 40 days and 40 nights when the devil came to tempt Him; he waited until the last moment. Matthew 4:2 says: ‘And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.’ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said: “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” I know, sneaky devil. Also notice that the devil picked those he tempted quite well: Eve, the first woman, enjoyed the presence and blessings of God freely; Job was like the model Christian, and Jesus was sent to redeem the sins of the whole world.

all that trouble of trying to break me for no reason. After all, Jeremiah 29:11 says that God has plans to prosper me and to give me a desired end. The devil truly has a lot to be fearful for when it comes to my life - and I mean a lot - because whilst I may not know them yet, God has HUGE plans for me. In the words of Guvna B: “Every test is a blessing if you choose to see the message.”

This is possibly the most exposing piece I’ve written for Grapevine, but this is truly where we are. However, 2 Chronicles 20:17 says: “You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” All that’s required here is trust and obedience. We trust that God does as He says (and there’s plenty of evidence to prove this) and we obey His instructions.

A little secret: Whenever I get sad, I think back to the last Marvel movie I’ve seen, and imagine that this must be what it looks like when God is fighting on my behalf.

Only it’s 100 times more magnificent.