BEFORE YOU RUN

Well hello there dear gist partner. How are you doing today?

Here’s hoping that you’re doing fine and that God continues to be with you and help you. 

Welcome to today’s gist. 

Something happened to me recently, I had cause to read the story of Samson again. Before I could even start, my mind began to replay the entire story of Samson by itself, it’s a popular story after all –Sunday School, Bible Clubs, CRS, personal study– we’ve all had cause to read and/or hear the story of Samson at least 3 times in our lifetime, that in itself would pose a danger of taking particular aspects of the Bible for granted because of how many times we’ve encountered it, story for another day, but I decided to read it carefully again this time, and I noticed something. 

The angel of the Lord appeared to Mrs Manoah in Chapter 13, telling her of the good news that the Lord had decided to give her a child that would become God’s instruments to destroy the Philistines; he also gave her instructions on what to do and what to avoid during the course of her pregnancy because of the consecration on her child. The angel, who she didn’t know at the time was an angel, departed and she went to her husband and informed him of all that had been told to her by the angel. 

See what the Bible records as Manoah’s response to what his wife told him: “Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.”” (Judges 13:8 ESV) Let’s pause for a second and maybe paint a little picture for perspective: verse 2 of Chapter 13 introduces us to Mr and Mrs Manoah and tells us a very striking thing about them –they were childless. I imagine that for Mrs Manoah to be regarded as barren by public opinion, their marriage would be neither 1 or 2 years old, e for don tey. Imagine how many tears they would have cried, how despondent and hopeless they must have felt at various points in their lives. And now, God Himself sends message to them that they would become parents, finally, and what does Manoah do? He asks God to send the man of God again SO THAT THEY COULD BE TAUGHT WHAT TO DO CONCERNING THE CHILD AFTER THE CHILD WAS BORN! They had gotten instructions on how to nurture the child while in the womb so that the child is not defiled, but Manoah didn’t want to take care during pregnancy then let things go after the baby was born, after all the work after birth is certainly more crucial than the work during pregnancy. 

As I thought on this, I was saying to myself that Manoah could have been going around to shout on the rooftop that he was going to become a father, could have been going to meet those who had mocked him before to tell them that he too would become a father and not just any ordinary father but the father of the deliverer that Israel was so desperately waiting for. Instead, he was more concerned in making sure he raised the child well than in letting everyone else know that he was about to become a father. 

When God gives you a glimpse into the future, especially your future, what do you do? Do you run to start announcing to the world or do you wait for more instructions so that you can effectively do what He is calling you to do? 

You cannot effectively become that thing God has shown you if you’re more interested in proving a point than you are in walking with God to becomeAnd can you walk with God effectively if you don’t receive instructions from Him? No! I hold the opinion that success isn’t as a result of number or ability, it simply is a result of the presence of God in the endeavor. If God shows you the picture of your future and you attempt to do it without Him, you go surely fail! Now the instructions may not be for the full picture, it could just be ‘little’ phases on the way that will finally lead you into becoming that person He showed you; walk with it like that, on how na God show you, you can be sure that He will take you safely and surely to that place where He would have you be. And of course God sent the angel back, because God will never turn away from a child of His that is genuinely seeking to honour Him, He will both tell you what to do and enable you to do it. 

So, my encouragement to you today is to always make sure that before you start running, you have gotten instructions on what to do and how to run the race well. May God give us the grace to be more interested in doing things right with Him. 

TUNES AND THOUGHTS: Our song recommendation for this week is ‘Volume of the Book’  by Moses Akoh. This song is a confession that indeed I have seen what God wants to achieve through my life and it is a declaration that I will indeed follow God’s plans and do His will. It is a song of submission to God’s will, a declaration of willingness to follow God regardless of whatever happens in life, I hope it blesses you as you listen.  

Well, that is that about that as far as that is concerned, till next week!

Love,

Achenyo. 

PS. Please pray for Benue State, the attacks are becoming alarmingly consistent.