"Something" woke me up.
I checked the time. 12.03am.
I stood up from my bed and the words that came to mind was...
"To You O Lord I have come to take refuge..." Psalm 71:1 (When I said these words my mind was on Psalm 46:1).
These past couple of months, I have come to learn not to take lightly times when something jolts me to wake up, for no reason.
So I spent the next hour praying and worshipping God.
About 12.55am.
I stopped. Scrolled through my phone and saw a 12.21am missed call from a colleague. I texted him at 1.05am, teasing him for being a midnight caller.
Then I spent the next couple of minutes ironing my clothes. Preparing for the week.
As I laid down to sleep again, dogs started barking. Very disturbing. Then I heard someone banging on my neighbors' gates. We live in a private Estate so it was very unusual to hear so many movements at that time of the night/day.
I couldn't tell if they came to our house. But "T", our dog, was barking angrily throughout the time. I heard other dogs in the neighborhood barking as well.
They barked, barked and barked.
I called my brother. The intention was to ask him to help us alert the police. His phone rang. No response. Looking back, I am glad he didn't pick. That would have put him in an unnecessary state of "panic."
Fist banging gates. Feet jumpimg over fences. Heartless men stealing from neighbours. Dogs barking. Me: ordering my heart to trust that God is in control. I thought of hiding under the bed, just incase.... but then I asked myself, and where is your faith?
And yes God did it!
A few hours later, I heard some neighbours recounting their experiences. Their houses were ransacked. Fences were pulled down/jumped over. Doors with burglary protection were broken. The thieves stole their material things but harmed none of them physically.
I thank God for divine protection over us. I thank God that I wouldn't have to go to my neighbor's house in the morning to weep over a dead relation or to tell them sorry for a broken bone. The stolen items are replaceable. I thank the Lord for His divine protection.
It wasn't my prayers that stopped the thieves from coming into our house. It was God who answers my prayers. And to Him be all the glory and honour and power forever!
Amen. Amen.
The next time you wake up without knowing why, please take advantage of it and pray, praise victoriously! Even if you have nothing to pray about yourself, pray for Nigeria.
There is a God!
Stay under His refuge.
Psalm 16:1, 31:1, 71:1.
Psalm 91, aloud!
Shalom.
