Amidst extreme want and hunger in the land, Nigerian Christians have been advised to wholly rely on God for divine guidance and never to take hasty decisions that could prove disastrous.
Leonard Umunna, general overseer, Bible Life Church, Olodi-Apapa, Lagos, gave the advice in a statement titled, ‘Message to Nigerian Christians’ made available to journalists, a copy of which was obtained by BDSUNDAY.
Umunna, who made an allusion to the story of Elimelech, who moved with his family from Bethlehem (of Israel) to Moab on account of severe famine in Israel, noted that the man died in Moab with his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, and was also buried there; hence could not have the opportunity to return to Israel when God visited His people once again.
The cleric gave the assurance that the tough times would never last, adding that only tough people would.
“Never mind the present hard times, you will fulfill your destiny,” the cleric began, explaining that “David was anointed by Prophet Samuel and after the anointment challenges came through King Saul, the reigning king. He continued to seek to destroy David to ensure that the purpose for which God anointed him would not be accomplished, but God raised a standard against him. At last, David fulfilled the Almighty plan and destiny.
“At a point enemies came and carried away all his households, it affected his property and even his soldiers and all that were with him in Ziklag. In the midst of all these, God assured him that he would outlive hard times. So, today, I tell that if you believe in God, hard times don’t last but tough people do. As David, fulfilled destiny, you will also fulfill destiny.”
Umunna, who explained that economic recession did not start today in Nigeria, but had been part and parcel of the country, emphasised that the nation had lost it in all fronts and that Nigeria’s problems could be traced way back shortly after the civil war.
“Nigeria has been in bad economy for a very long time. What is different now is that our leaders, those we relied on have just announced it, so it looks as if it is a new thing, no; poverty and hard times have been parts of our everyday life in Nigeria. Nigeria got independence in 1960, and the oil boom was in 1970s, and Nigerians enjoyed the oil boom only a few years, but since the end of the civil war, things started going left and right. I can say that Nigeria has been in recession for a very long time before now,” he said.
“I have told the press severally that Nigeria, like an airplane, crash-landed as soon as it was preparing to take off. Since then, it has not been able to fly again despite all efforts to get it off the ground. Since then it has been from bad to worse. Successive governments have always been worse than those before them. Things have continued to degenerate; nothing appreciates.
“When Olusegun Obasanjo came out from the prison like Joseph, to become president, Nigerians thought he would perform like the late South African president, Nelson Mandela, but it was a pipe dream. When the late Umaru Yar’Adua came, hope was high; when Goodluck Jonathan came on board, people shouted very enthusiastically, hoping that they were in for a nice time, but it was not so. “When Muhammadu Buhari came, journalists were asking me what I thought would be his style and what God had told me about him, I told them, sorry I have not seen him in my spiritual mirror as a messiah. I told them that rather than rely on Buhari, Nigeria should do the right thing to attract divine favour and mercy of God. Today, we are seeing it; things are not what the people had expected. Economy may deteriorate, but God always makes a way. He has always put forward a Joseph that will ensure God’s children do not go home hungry. The only thing you must do is that you must believe and trust God. Economic problem is not new in Nigeria; the only thing is that it is worsening,” the cleric further explained.
Urging Christians not to despair, the Bishop said: “God is saying that He is making a way where there is no way. It is a new day. Every empty pocket is due to empty head; empty head is due to no vision (no thinking, no repositioning and no positive move to go to the next level). Those who do not see a future in what is happening today may not be able to overcome it. God said, in famine you will laugh, and that he will make a way for you. How does he do that and how would it be possible, through repositioning, re-visioning, re-preparing, rethinking and re-opening up.
“Let me cite an example, God made Abraham to go where he never thought he would go. It’s a repositioning. God directed him to do certain things to add value to his life. Mind you, it is not that you don’t have anything that is responsible for your not making progress, but because you don’t know that the little you have can make you to have full pocket. So, you continue to say, ‘Oh I don’t have anything’, whereas you have what can make you have excess. God had told Abraham that the whole world was under him, and that he was having a certificate of occupancy of the whole world so to speak. God can use that small thing you have to elevate you. God works in mysterious ways, sometimes he allows people to go into slavery so that they will know what it is to help a slave out; he allows people to go into severe hunger and want so that they will know what people feel in that situation. He can allow a believer to experience all kinds of adverse situation, but in all, it is to better the condition of His people, so that they can say ‘all things work together for good for them that love God.’ So, what you are passing through now may not be for you but for the benefit of others.”
According to him, “It is unfortunate that hunger is so severe in Nigeria today that a man gave his two children in exchange for one bag of rice. It was in the news a few days ago. These things happened during the Nigeria-Biafra war. History is repeating itself. Again, a man who sold local gin (‘ogogoro’) found things so difficult that he left a suicide note and hanged himself. But he has worsened his predicament because he is going to suffer more after his death. But I encourage you today never to give up as a result of bad economy. You will fulfill your destiny.
“I want to warn that no one should look for deliverance from any man. In times like these, the best and wisest thing to do is to look up to the Almighty God, that is where the help comes from.”
Umunna further explained that “Bad economy simply means, Change the way you spend; change the way you receive. This could be a training time. Don’t give up. You will fulfill your destiny. Nigerian believers must remember Ghana; there was a time, they were telling them Ghana must go, but I said at that time No, whatever you sow, you will reap; today, Ghana is telling you ‘Nigeria must go’. But it shall be well with Nigeria.”
Zebulon Agomuo
