She called Pastor on phone and
asked if she could come and see him. He asked her to come. She hung up, excused
herself and left the office.
“She is very simple
and direct o,” Mabel said when she left.
“Yes,” her mother
said.
“If I had known she
was like this, I would have been coming closer to her since.”
“When you look at
her from afar,” Cynthia said. “You will think she is this kind of person with a
lot of protocols and who doesn’t have time for anybody.”
“She is not like
that at all,” their mother said.
“Her counsel has
helped very well,” Mabel said
“What do we do now?”
Cynthia asked.
“Let’s wait till she
comes back,” their mother said. “Remember we still have to deal with the root
cause of the problem.”
They
waited for a while. About eight minutes later, pastor’s wife came back into her
office.
‘I told him,” she
said to them. “He said you should come,”
“Ok.”
She led the way and they followed.
They got to the pastor’s office and entered. He was sitting on his chair with
his bible and writing pad open on the table in front of him. They greeted him
and stood.
“Deaconess how are
you?” he asked Mabel’s mother.
“Daddy I have not
reached deaconess o,” she said.
“How are you first?”
he asked again smiling.
“I am fine daddy,” she
replied.
He
turned to Mabel and Cynthia.
“Ada how are you?”
he asked Mabel.
“I am fine daddy,”
Mabel replied.
“This one you came
after many months, hope you brought venison as sin offering?”
“Another time
daddy,” Mabel said, laughing.
“Cynthia, you are
growing by the day.”
“Thank you daddy,”
Cynthia said.
“If I don’t marry
you as second wife, you will wait for my son o.”
“If you marry second
wife,” Pastor’s wife said. “I will marry second husband.
They burst
into laughter.
“You are all welcome,”
Pastor said.
“Thank you daddy.”
“I would have
offered you seat but I am preparing for service and I will not take much time
with you.”
“No problem sir,”
Mabel’s mother said.
“Mama told me some
things. I know your family and have always been praying for you, but this current
situation needs urgent attention. So we will embark on prayers. We will fast
for the next seven days. I will join you in it. Then next week, you will come
much earlier, and I will break the fast with you in the company of some of my pastors
and prayer warriors. This yoke must be broken. The death of Jesus will not be
in vain in your life.”
“Amen sir,” Mabel’s
mother shouted.
“Can you do it?”
“My daughters are
not feeling well and are on drugs,” their mother said. “Should they stop the
drugs they are taking? Can I fast on their behalf?”
“No. Everyone must
be involved. They can do 6 to 12. Then when they are done with the drugs and
feel better, they can increase their fast time. This is a serious matter that
needs to be dealt with squarely.”
“Ok sir.”
“While you fast,
believe that all power belongs to Jesus and so the yoke is breakable. What we
are doing is to enforce the victory that Jesus already got for us on the
cross.”
“Daddy, let me add
something,” his wife said.
“Go ahead.”
“Fasting is not
hunger strike.”
“Yes,” pastor
concurred.
“You must make sure
you make out quality time to pray and study. That is the only way it can
qualify as a fast. If you keep watching the clock and just pray summarized
prayer, then you are not fasting. Now that you have declared a fast is when the
appetite for food will triple. That is the trick of the enemy. Don’t let it get
to you. Stay away from impurities. Control yourself and you will see what the
Lord will do for you.”
“Ok ma,” they
replied.
“Later,” Pastor
said. “I will give mummy some scriptures you will study and declare during the
fast,”
“Ok sir.”
“Let me pray for you before you go.”
They
bowed their heads and he said a word of prayer over their lives. They thanked him
when he was done and turned to leave.
“Make sure you do all mummy has already told you before now,”
Pastor said when they were at the door. “Prayer doesn’t cancel out wisdom;
faith doesn’t overrule common sense ok.”
“Ok sir.”
They
left the office.
“We will wait and
collect the scriptures from mama,” Mabel said.
“Are we waiting
here, her office or in church?” their mother asked.
“Let’s hang around
here so she will not forget.”
“This fasting sef,”
Cynthia said.
“What happened to
it?” Mabel asked.
“Can you fast on my
behalf?”
“Why?”
“That thing mama
said is true. Whenever I decide to fast, hunger will start from early morning.”
“Just take your mind
away from that.”
Pastor’s office door opened and
pastor’s wife came out with a piece of paper in her hand.
“These are the
scriptures,” she said, handing the paper over to their mother. “He said he
hopes you are staying for the service?”
“Yes we are,” their
mother replied.
“It’s ok. Let me go
and get ready too.”
They read
through the scriptures. Each of the days had a prayer focus and scriptures
attached.
“Will I read
everything?” Cynthia asked. “It is too much na.”
“You have to o,” her
mother answered her. “Infact, I will supervise it myself.”
She
folded the paper well and put inside her hand bag and they moved out. Outside,
they saw people, in groups chatting and getting set for the service. Others
were going into the church hall. They exchanged pleasantries with those they
knew and went into the church hall for the service.
(...to be continued)
Nedu Isaac
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