Lanre Fatokun Something Good!
As my girl friend mentioned the book of the Mormon, I remembered an old friend!
We had just finished from Secondary school. We got talking about God and us. We were just about 17 years of age. He told me, “Guy, in my few years on earth I’ve tried about 7 religions!”
What???
I’m yet to meet someone else like him…so many years after! The next day, he brought the Book of the Mormon for me to see…another Testament of Jesus Christ!. He had been around and about with his dad, a strong man, in search of God.
So present, yet unseen! Our God!
Someone asked, “If our religious leaders take out health, wealth, cars, jobs, safe keeping, good accomodation etc from the homilies and sermons, what would be left?”
If health care is reliable, guaranteed and free;
if hard and smart work translates to comfort and good standard of living;
…when everyone who is qualified gets a job, and everyone not qualified can still get by;
…when the police (noun) effectively police (verb);
…and the potholes on the roads get deleted, and good driving gets enforced;
…and the high rise apartment buildings in Ikoyi are within the reach of the willing;
Would we still seek God like we do today?
Would there still be much to do in the house(s) of God?
For once, the depletion in church attendance in the West makes sense!
But there is still the hunger for meaning, the desire for “what we cannot define” that drove my friend’s doubtlessly affluent family through 7 religions while he was still a teenager. It appears there is a longing for our Maker, that goes unsatisfied in most men. Many of us look for Him, look to fill this longing in various ways: Ascetism, charity work, religious works, silence, separation, meditation, psychology, astrology, atheism, etc.
For a start, whenever we go to seek God again, let us leave our long lists of needs behind at home. Let us approach Him with “no need”, just to converse, to praise, and to listen. We should make our children see God beyond His capacity to supply all needs.
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! Habakkuk 3:17-18
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Unfortunately, there’s a lot of deception out there for gullible seekers. Thank God for the remnant that are still pointing people in the right direction.
Great piece, very thought provoking.
You are in the spirit, Bro Lanre! I didn’t know the true meaning of serving God until I got to d West. Wat most of us do in Nigeria is mere religion. I wonder wat our Nigerian pastors will include in their prayer points when Nigeria becomes as developed as the West. I remembered my Mum calling me one day, while I was on a train. She said “Journey Mercies!”. It sounded so strange to me that I found it difficult to say, “Amen”. I got home and pondered on how much prayers we would render as a family just to go on a journey and now, that all seems like a waste of prayer point to me. I also remembered being baffled when my American Pastor started his Sunday prayer by saying; “Dear God…”. He spoke to God as if God was sitting right beside him. As months rolled on, I came to realize that: a church member’s cat being healed is a testimony. It became normal to listen to a testimony like: “I want to thank God for my Dog. she has been such a blessing. Watching her grow daily emphasizes the greatness of God to me. Halleluyah!” I began to understand that loving God and doing His will is awesome wen u don’t expect anything back. It was therefore a norm to watch my Pastor, cry profusely for haven taken too much chocolate, asking God for forgiveness and grace to but his flesh under subjection next time. I pray that one day, Christians in Nigeria will come to see God beyond a Miracle Worker and see Him for who He truly is- A God that wants to fellowship with man. Shalom!
Our God enjoins us to rever Him, praise Him, thank Him for the array of ggdies we receive from him on minute by minute basis; that is all He asks for. He is not interested in whatever form of sacrifices we pretentiously put before Him.
While many Churches appear to be doing this, it is certain that they expect more from the ever gracious God – the good things of life, which you asked whether there would still be the need for going to our places of worship, if left at home while we kneel before the throne of grace. But since the Bible itself makes clear that, not money (and other good things of life) but the love of it, all we need do is put those godies aside ank seek firs, His Kingdom and its righteousness and trust God that in keeping with His word, He would add all those things. After all, King Solomon asked for only wisdom to govern God’s people aright and he ended up being the most prosperous man of his time.
Let our Church Leaders and preachers preach more of seeking God’s Kingdom in all its ramifications, and teaching us to believe that God would always keep His side of the bargain – adding all other things.
Habakkuk’s attitude, quoted at the end of your entry, should be the attitude of all truthful believers – Though the fig tree may not blossom, ……. Yet I will rejoice in The Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation – NKJ.
hnmmmmmmmmmmm! this is hard saying man! thanks for a word like this.