Categories: Hope

Never Alone.

Growing up as a child, I really used to fear a lot being alone, most especially at night. I always wanted my mom’s hands, or my dad’s hands around me, to make me feel merry. I suppose that it’s a need in everything to be in a community where they are sure someone cares, someone can help them, and someone loves them unconditionally. But sometimes this is not possible to always find.

Sometimes, it’s so easy to feel like no one cares, no one helps, or basically, no one is necessary. It becomes much worse that sometimes we even feel like God also doesn’t wanna turn to help us. But, what if that’s a trick by the devil to cause helplessness in humanity? Or, what if it’s a reminder that we should check ourselves before we make the next move?

A few days after we ran the article “what’s God got to do with it?“, we received a bunch of texts in reply from those who read it. Out of the many replies, there was a particular one from Viola Nampijja.

When viola texted us, we replied her with, “what’s the Lord doing in your life?” It’s a question so typical of us. We ask to find out how we can help. Upon asking Viola this question, she just had to text back one of the rarely seen responses from religious people, “I’m just under a great test”. This was hard to start. Many people just start by telling us how good God is, but for her, it was just that. What could we do? She knows it’s a test, supposedly a test from God.

After a few texts, we just had to promise to pray for her, knowing that God can surely deliver her from whatever it is that she wouldn’t feel comfortable to share at that time. In her response to our pledge to pray with her, she said this, “It Will be great for sure if God comes up for me, I will come out to testify. But I need His control am so confused“. I’m not sure Viola really was seeing the ability of God to rescue her ASAP.

Exactly one month later, we had to text Viola to find out the progress of things in her life. She had to say this, “I remember I last talked to you people when I was totally down, and I promised that if God makes me get through this, I will come back to testify”. Even though we didn’t know what would come next, joy stroke us, we felt merry within ourselves as we await the full details. God had come through, and she had to detail the events that took place.

Viola told us this:

“I was working, but I was under a great torture by my boss because some people came and stole her money from me. I began to work at no salary, no allowance, no food, and no treatment. On top of that, I could be abused all the time because of the lost money. I had one hope, only God, because my family is so poor to replace such amount of money. My mom used to get pressure when she heard of what I could go through.

I want to thank God when I talked with you people, there and then, I began to get some difference. God helped my parents get money in a miraculous way. We paid the lady who was torturing me.

I also got another job which is peaceful.

However much some money is still in debts I know God will help me but I really thank Him that am now settled, Glory be to the lord.”

Did you just see that? I mean, “…some money is still in debts, I know God will help me …”. The test she went through has produced the confidence in her that even though she has not yet seen God fulfill it, she rests upon the assurance that God will surely do it. But before we focus on that, we have to understand something, no temptation has seized but such as is common to man, but God always provides a way out. The challenge though is that we don’t normally see the way out.

Viola was going through a crazy moment. She had accepted the fact that nothing good could be done by her family concerning the situation. Viola could have gone to exchange her body for money, but she didn’t. She could have stolen from other friends to pay, but she didn’t, she had to wait upon the delivering hand of God, trusting daily in God. She endured many bitter words while patiently waiting on God. She watched her poor mother nearly get sick because of thoughts on how her daughter could be doing daily. But even in all these, she stood tall to stick with God, never trading her virtue for anything less.

Viola was never alone. As it is said, those who trust in God are like trees by the rivers of water, that produces it’s fruits in, and out of season. If God can do that to those who trust in Him, then surely He is with them. God had prepared us before hand to receive Viola, to pray with her, to console her, and to exhort her. Viola’s trust was never for granted, God was watching.

Like viola, many are in the wilderness. They see no hope, they see no glimpse of change. Like viola, I encourage such to rest on God. There might be many ways to get out of the wilderness, but I encourage God’s ways. God’s ways don’t add sorrows or afflictions, but other ways will. Change is gonna come.

Money paid, a new job found. Is that what we say, “exceedingly, abundantly, above all we can think of or imagine”? Yes, God loves His children, and won’t let the children stay in the dark forever. He’ll not allow His children walk alone through the valley of the shadow of death either. He’s God, and He is faithful.