It is not an exaggeration to recollect that not a day went trouble-free for Nigerians in Christendom after former President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in on 29 May 2015 in a ceremony that was attended by at least 23 heads of state and governments so much that they resorted to praying to God with the zeal that is reminiscent of the mannerism the biblical Israelites demonstrated in the desert where they wandered for a period of 40 years as they were in dire need of God’s huge grace and peace. Again, it will be recalled that every morning they were in need of His Spirit to fill them again, to strengthen them for what is ahead. In fact, every day they were in need of a fresh word that He spoke to their hearts, to keep them focused on what was most important for them to overcome the unprecedented biting hardship they experienced in the desert. Like the Israelites, Nigerians unarguably throughout Buhari’s eight years reign sought God’s grace and peace as the hardships thrust upon them were never witnessed in Nigeria’s political history; even under the regime of Sani Abacha who was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state after seizing power in 1993 until his death in 1998.
However, to God be the glory, not a few Nigerians that were alive yesterday to witness the transition of power from Buhari to the newly sworn-in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will testify to the goodness of God, and thank Him for giving them the grace to run the race of life with joy that some of them were denied of since 2015. They have every reason to thank God as pieces of evidence abound that without Him doing nothing, everyone that passed through Buhari’s eight-year period of leadership would have by now died; even as many died during the period, and not a few people were literarily drained dry.
To most people in Christendom, it is expedient to remind them that in the book of Exodus, we read the story of how God’s people endured years of bondage under the Egyptians. They were oppressed, abused, and mistreated. They needed rescue, they needed a way of escape. God saw their need, he did not miss a thing, and in His perfect timing, he acted on their behalf, “God met them where they were.”
Therefrom, God performed miracle after miracle, leading them straight out of slavery, away from the cruel hand of the Egyptians. He set them free. Free from oppression. Free from captivity. Free from bondage. And the adventure was just getting started.
The people of Israel spent 40 years in the desert. 40 years of wandering. 40 years of journeying toward the Promised Land that God had given them. That is a very long time. The days must have been intense, hot, and dry. This writer is sure that they became weary. But God met them where they were, he made sure they had what they needed. They learned through every hard and grueling step, how much they had to rely on Him.
At this juncture, permit me to assure my fellow brothers and sisters in Christendom and those that are affiliated with other religions that with a new regime that was inaugurated yesterday under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that God will continue to be with us. He will remember us for good. We see it over and over in His word. Stories that prove how God never leaves us fending for ourselves when problems arise or seem too big. Miracles that remind us when we leave the battles in His hands, He can do what would be impossible for us to ever accomplish on our own.
Be that as it may, as manna no longer falls from heaven, there are things everyone in Christendom should learn from the Israelites’ Wandering Years in the Desert. The reason for exercising some spiritual sacrifices cannot be pooh-poohed as it is the only way out from the hardships thrust upon us by bad leaders as witnessing our promised land on earth is not always easy, in fact, it rarely is. But it is worth it.
In fact, there is no denying the fact that since Tinubu was sworn-in yesterday that not a few optimistic Nigerians and his partisan supporters were hopeful that Tinubu’s performance will dwarf that of Buhari as he was observed to have dropped the bar of governance to the nadir. However, to this writer as a Christian, the fact remains that when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road that made the most sense. The Bible tells us in Exodus 13, that though the path was shorter right through the Philistine country, God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” Exodus 13:17.
So He led them around the desert road over towards the Red Sea. Hot, dry, barren wasteland, the sea looming off in the distance. We can almost hear the grumblings starting then. Feel the fear rising. And that was just the beginning of their journey. Relating the foregoing to what has happened since yesterday after the inauguration of Tinubu as Nigeria’s current president, you will agree with me that the pump price of fuel has soared due to unfounded speculations that surround the removal of fuel subsidies. Without a doubt, this is one of the roads that God will spiritually be taking us through as we cannot get to the Promised Land under Tinubu’s regime without exercising some restraint and making sacrifices.
However, God had promised his people that their land would be full of blessings, it was worth fighting for, and it was worth going the distance. But the way there would stretch their faith and lead them through journeys where they would have to depend on God like nothing before.
We too often face these journeys as God leads us into our own “promised land.” Maybe you feel like the blessing is too long in coming, maybe you feel like giving up. Be assured again today that God is faithful and he will use all things to strengthen our faith and bring goodness to his people. Stay strong, and keep pressing through.
Again, even as Tinubu’s regime commences we should continue to hold on to God even at the point we will get closer to the sea, and would see it to be bigger and deeper. In my view, we should not panic or become despair as it would not be different from the obstacles that seemed too difficult to overcome which the Israelites witnessed for the umpteenth time. In fact, we should always emulate the Israelites as the biblical account has it that their eyes focused on the problem. They forgot about the bigness of their God. But God did not forget about them. He split the sea in two so that his people walked through on the dry ground. The enemy in hot pursuit had no idea what they were up against. They lost the battle that day and were swallowed up in the waves.
