Not In Vain!

It’s early Sunday morning, and it’s raining hard… You can’t rebuke the rain, for it’s from the Lord, your loving dad!

You hadn’t prepared to host Sunday service, it was supposed to be your day off! You tried to come up with an excuse to the person you’re standing in for, but the Very Holy Ghost in you, told you ‘You know it’s you!’

It’s 7a.m and you as well have to fulfill some of your responsibilities at home—Washing dishes! You both have to fulfill the calling of God on your life as a child in the family he’s placed you, and also as a minister and servant to the rest of the bride of His son!

As you wash, (since you hadn’t prepared long enough) you consult the Holy Spirit, “Dear…” Thou says, “What shall be the icebreaker today?” He then replies clearly, “Do a black-American praise break mingled with Nigerian words…And having a church organ background!”

“Okay!” You say…

You have no car! But you have wisdom! You wear shorts and yobos for you had picked white shoes to wear and you forgot to check the weather forecast the day before. You leave home, the rest of your family is still sound asleep…the winds are blowing your little umbrella… but you make it!

Everyone else looks cute and clean! Cars they have, thus they need not to wipe mud off their legs! It’s 5 minutes to the service’s start, and you have to rush and change into the skinny jeans folded in your bagpack!

You hear His voice say, “It’s not in vain!”

But you hush it, it’s few minutes to showtime. It’s the 3rd praise song already, and I’m still looking in the washroom mirror… being abit uncomfy with the jeans I bought last night!

I start wishing I hadn’t wasted the money, then again I hear His voice say;

“It’s not in vain!”

I brace myself and go to the front row, with the yobos I came in, stocked away in my bag pack! It’s worship time…I’m praying in tongues but my mind is unsettled…I revisit the washroom…I have a short call named nervousness! I get back, and the urge returns! This time I bind it…and the flesh submits to the Spirit!

“It’s not in vain!” His sweet voice whiskers again!…

The song is concluded, I’m via the steps and then… I die! I cease to exist, someone else takes over me! Before the stage, I wasn’t feeling the icebreaker. Now it doesn’t matter whether I feel it or not! Faith suddenly RULES and REIGNS! I hold the mic, and I start to do as he’d told while I’d been washing!

It’s still raining but I see sunshine inside the auditorium! Smiles overwhelm me, hugs fly allover, people are falling off their chairs, the indescribable joy of the Lord storms in like a tsunami! I haven’t seen so much happiness in one place, in the entire week combined!

And I can’t boast about it…when I died, I realized I wasn’t alone! I realized I can never do it on my own! He’s always there…TO DO IT HIMSELF! All I had to do, all you had to do…All we have to always do, is to avail ourselves and get all the excuses out of the way!

Service was amazing! I just realized that am back now to my self! ( I know HE never left, but it’s come to my attention that for many cases, He needs to take the wheel, to have control…)

And all these earthlings come around you with milk-white teeth and smiles long as miles after service… They hug and say ‘You did beyond great today!’ ‘Oh my I was depressed but I thank God I made it! You turned my week around!!!!’ ‘You ought to host service daily!!!’ ‘O God! You always bring new ways of provoking a laugh…and not the sarcastic one, but a true, genuine, life giving one! Thank you!’ ‘I saw the Spirit spin you 360°!’

I am touched! I let God minister to them all! They say ‘You did good!’ But I turn and say ‘It’s you father! It’s you who did good!’

The icebreaker(s)… The jokes… It was you!

Then He replies, (and only then do I get it..)

“It was not in vain!”

He says to you…to you the pianist, the lead-singer, the toilet maintainer, the one smiling at the welcome doorway, the service manager, the seat-wiper, the set-up guy, the one no one notices, the worker behind the scene, the one behind the projector, the holy communion carrier, the offertory counter, the tiles mop-per, the early intercessor, the mechanic, the one who rolls the wires after service, the one who stacks the chairs before and after the service, the one who directs the cars in the parking, the children’s teacher, the soda pourer, the MC joiners’ facilitator, the first guest speech-giver, and the preacher…(who have to do all these twice, crack the jokes twice, sing the same octave twice…)

“It is not in vain!”

Whether someone has seen you do it or not, whether someone appreciates you or not, whether someone recognizes you or not! You have to settle this in your heart… (That)

“It is not in vain!!!”