One day, when I was 8 years old, I misbehaved badly and even I knew it. My mother (who never tolerated disrespect in private, let alone in public) had taken me to the house of a nurse on the next street to receive the final injection from a severe case of malaria I had just recovered from…
But I was terrified of needles.
Despite all her pleas and reasoning, I refused to cooperate. I told her I didn’t need the injection and that I felt fine. Out of frustration and helplessness, she left me at the nurse’s house, unable to hold me down for the shot. In my little mind, I felt victorious; no needles in my body. I had ‘won.’ However, as soon as I got home, she told me to go and kneel in her room. That was never a good sign.
Kneeling there, trembling, I knew what was coming. At that moment, I whispered a very sincere prayer:
“Dear Lord, please don’t let my mother beat me today. You know how scared I am of needles.”
To my surprise, she came into the room, visibly angry but gave me only one lash and a stern warning.
Just one lash? That was a miracle o!
What happened the next morning changed something inside me forever.
During our morning devotion, my mum turned to me and apologized in front of everyone. She said the Holy Spirit had told her not to touch me, but she gave me that one lash out of anger and for disobeying the Holy Spirit, she was sorry.
That moment lit a bulb in my heart. For the first time, I realized that God hears. Even prayers as seemingly small as, “Please don’t let my mum beat me.”
God Is Present, Even in the Seemingly Trivial
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” — Psalm 145:18 (NIV)
God is a good and present Father. His Word is true and He listens even in moments that seem too little or too foolish to matter. What He looks for is sincerity- and as a child of God, that has to mean something.
You are not ordinary. You carry two key things that separate you from the world- divine privilege and access.
Consider Elijah… And Consider Yourself
“Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” — James 5:17 (NIV)
Elijah was just a man, yet he commanded the heavens and they obeyed. Guess what? You are better equipped than Elijah! You have:
The mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16)
The indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11)
A better covenant with better promises (Hebrews 8:6)
That means your prayers are not noise, they carry weight in heaven!
Say This With Me — From Ephesians 1
“I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
“I am chosen, holy, and blameless.”
“I am redeemed and forgiven through His blood.”
“I am sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
“I have the Spirit of wisdom and revelation.”
“I am God’s own inheritance and treasure.”
As You Step Into the Week…
Remember: Nothing about you is ordinary.
Whether your prayer is as seemingly small as, “Please don’t let my mum flog me,” or as mountain-moving as “Let it not rain for three and a half years,” God listens; He cares.
Walk boldly in the awareness that:
God is near
The Holy Spirit speaks
The Word is alive
And prayer works
You are not just anybody. You are a child of God…
And that has to mean something.
Shalom.
Gift Ologbonjaiye
giftakor_oo (IG)
Push Buttons is a weekly devotional of The Powerpoint Tribe.