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
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