The Very Present Help

The Very Present Help


In 2014, I had to write Corporate Financial 
Management an accounting subject as a 
requirement for a professional certification, 
a course I am not acquainted with.
As a lawyer, to advance in some 
industries and fields, you need to acquire 
a certificate that would prove that you 
have the knowledge, skills and experience 
to perform specific tasks in a particular field. 
So I thought to myself, I am a lawyer ‘jare’, 
I will just cram all the formulas and give 
it back to them and if that is not enough, 
I will confuse them with big grammar! 
There is a joke about the time a lawyer 
and an accountant were called in for 
a test. 
The accountant went in first and was 
asked, “What is 2+2?” 
He thought for a while and finally 
answered, “Four”. 
Then the lawyer was called in, and was 
asked the same question. 
The lawyer answered even quicker 
than the accountant, “It depends on 
what you want it to be”. The trick is 
to confuse them.
But jokes apart, I studied hard for 
the examination. 
I had passed the other courses except 
that course. 
I wrote the June diet and when the 
result was published, I failed. 
I had put in my best, studied hard 
because getting a professional certification 
in Nigeria is expensive and I had to 
sponsor myself which took a lot of money. 
You know the pain you feel when the
 soccer team you support misses the 
five penalty shoot-outs that would 
have made them the winner during 
the final match? 
The pain I felt was deeper. 
Or the pain when you already fantasized 
about how you will rock that ‘peng’ 
style you picked for Christmas but 
the tailor decided to deliver a 
‘grandma style’ dress for you on 
that same Christmas day? 
The pain I felt was more profound. 
I cried heavily because I could not 
imagine failing that course. 
Then, I heard a voice. 
Till date, I cannot explain whether it 
was an audible voice or I heard it in 
my spirit but I heard, “We are in 
this together”. 
I knew it was the Holy Spirit because 
we became acquainted some months 
before then and He had prompted 
me several times prior to that day. 
I mean, there were times He would 
prompt me to go read my Bible, 
instructed me not to watch a popular 
movie series
He even took me through a shorter 
route to my house one day. 
I knew He could be trusted so I was 
consoled immediately.
I decided to rewrite the paper in 
December 2014 but there was a 
challenge, I could not afford it. 
I had to pay to retake the paper, 
pay for tutorials (which I did not 
register for the first time I attempted 
the course) and settle other expenses. 
I needed Eighty-five Thousand Naira 
(#85,000) but my salary then was 
Thirty Thousand Naira (#30,000).
I decided I would fast and pray for 
some days and approach my boss 
for aid. 
I made that decision on a Tuesday 
to start fasting on Wednesday till 
Friday but the Holy Spirit told me 
not to wait till Friday. 
He instructed me to go ask my 
boss immediately. 
This should remind you of the 
scripture verse, ‘Not by power, nor 
by might but by my Spirit says 
the Lord’. 
I have not fasted, I have not prayed 
and the Holy Spirit is telling me to 
go meet my boss to ask him to 
give (dash) me an amount that 
would take me three month to earn? 
Well, I obeyed the Holy Spirit. 
I met my boss, told him I needed 
that sum. 
Would you believe if I told you my 
boss gave me the money immediately? 
Our God is a Miracle-working God. 
I was amazed. 
I remembered what the Holy Spirit 
told me some weeks before then that, 
“we are in this together”. 
He is always with us in all capacity as 
a Father, friend, guide, teacher etc. 
In whatever situation we are going 
through and all we have to do is rest 
in Him, wait for His instructions and obey. 
You might ask why the Holy Spirit 
would allow me fail. We fail at times 
because we are not prepared, or 
sometimes, we cannot even explain 
the reason(s) because we gave our best. 
But I do not regret failing that particular 
examination because the experience 
taught me that my best may not be 
enough at all times because of human 
frailties but I can rest assured that 
I have the Helper with me always 
Who has the capacity to help me 
beyond my capabilities. 
The experience also taught me to 
always promptly obey His instructions 
even when they do not make sense to me. 
The Helper provided all I needed for 
the examination and helped me pass 
in flying colors. 
He enjoys helping us. 
Hallelujah!
 

- Layo Spendor 

PS: Tomorrow is Day 2 of the Conference; join us