“Gooooaaaaal!” The Super Eagles of Nigeria drew the first blood. It was my very first time of watching a live game in a stadium. The atmosphere was that of a game already won even though a ball had not been kicked. As the referee blew the opening whistle, everything changed. The same stadium that was up with laughter and optimism was down with tension. Everyone jumped into the air shouting as our team scored first on the 23rd minute. The referee pointed to the center circle, meaning it was a sure goal and our opponents should proceed to the center circle to pass.
Passing they did, just before we finished shouting goal. Our hands were still in the air, of course we were still standing and the supporters club were about to raise a new chorus. It felt like we had won the match and what did I see, the ball was right inside our net. The Tunisians had equalized in just about a minute. The whole stadium was silenced. It is very true when they say, “A team is most vulnerable to concede, when they have just scored a goal.” Nigeria scored another goal on the 80th minute and kept it at a 2-1 score until the final minute of regulation time. Just when everyone thought it was almost over, just when we had started celebrating, Tunisia struck again, ending the game 2-2. This brings some wisdom to me.
Jesus told the story of a man who worked so hard during the course of the year and was blessed. His farm had yielded so much that he planned to break down his storehouses and build larger ones. He planned to build new offices and buy the latest storage technology. His hard work had just paid off and he realized he has had enough. “Relax, Rest,” he told himself. “There is no need to be stressed any longer. The rest of your life is insured.” “You are a fool!” the Lord told him. “You won’t even see tomorrow.”
There is something about the times that follow a victory. There’s something about times following great achievements. There’s something about the days when we are happiest. There’s something about successes recently achieved. There’s something about the time when we tell our selves “calm down, it’s time to rest.” It most likely comes with a letting down of our guards, a desire to become lazy, meeting with the enemy’s renewed vigour to get us. Only few make it through this time.
Who would have thought that the first visitor Jesus would receive after a forty-day fast would be the devil? The devil was ready to strip him of all the strength he just received. But Jesus knew better...this is what we should know too.
When we need something from God, we are up and doing, we know how to abide and never leave his presence. We know how to stay away from sin, so that our prayers are not hindered. We know how to stay up in the night to pray or wake up early to spend time with God but when we receive our needs from him, we get carried away in the happiness that follows. In the same state of happiness we misbehave, we forget about the relationship or the fellowship that brought the joy in the first place. Then, we cap it up - we tell ourselves, “Calm down, it’s time to rest. You don’t need so much prayer any longer.”
Are you really trying to rest, or you just want to be lazy? Your days of redundancy are the most dangerous days of your life. Here is not the place to rest, our eternal home is. As long there is breath in your nostrils. There’s something to be done for God. Don’t get carry away by the same thing you were blessed with. Don’t let down your guards.
... But a son that sleeps during harvest brings shame. Proverbs 10:5 KJV
