Our Ultimate Father
After the “Woman To Woman” show yesterday, I called my bestie and she said the show was so good she needed 30 minutes of crying. She’s missing her father who is in glory. She’s not alone, I have a few more friends and acquaintances I know who are feeling the pain of this Father’s Day celebration. There’s a void in the heart which was created when their fathers passed on to be with the Lord. As humans, we immortalize our parents and rightly so. Almost every friend I know has such amazing memories of their fathers and I know they will give anything to be able to hear their fathers voices again especially on this special day.
Then we have the other group who are also grieving a different thing - they never had a father figure in their lives or the father was never involved in their upbringing. This group has a different kind of pain, knowing that the man whom you call father is alive somewhere but didn’t care to be in your life for whatever reasons. The feeling of abandonment, rejection, etc. is so real for them as well. There are several other categories that I can go on and on with but what I want to bring to light is our ultimate Father - Jesus Christ. Whatever the ‘Daddy Issue’ is, whether loss or abandonment, Jesus, our Abba Father, remains constant.
He has loved us unconditionally, shown us mercy and compassion even when we did not deserve it. He has been Jehovah Jireh our provider. He has protected us from the snare of the fowler and the noisome pestilence. He has been our fortress and shield. He is our rock and deliverer. He is the Father who healed us from all diseases and afflictions and we can honestly say that He has been faithful to us. Every morning He has renewed his grace and mercy for us. He is Sovereign - which means we can be confident that there is no Father like Him, none before Him nor after Him. He is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent. From beginning to end, He is who He says He is. To Him alone do we call Abba Father!
Heaven and earth will pass away. Our earthly fathers will pass away but our ultimate Father will remain. No matter how you’re feeling this Father’s Day, look up to the one and only Father above. He remains forever and ever.
Wishing all our earthly fathers, present or in memoriam, a Happy Father’s Day!
XOXO,
Lady Abena.
P.S. I just remembered that I have not shared any information about “Woman To Woman yet on this blog. It’s a weekly live broadcast streamed on Facebook and YouTube via my church’s social media platform, Ebenezer Methodist Church, Ghana. The program is about our spiritual journey as women and we have practical conversations led by the Holy Spirit. I think you should check it out for yourself. The Facebook handle is @emcmaryland and @chanel5112 on YouTube. We broadcast every Saturday at 2PM EST. I pray you will tune in sometime.
The Night Time Repair
A few weeks ago a very dear friend of mine called me - a bit distraught and in emotional pain. She went on to recount the events and incidents that I had led to her current state and it was quite disheartening. Her feelings and emotions were very valid. Even as the powerful woman in Jesus Christ that she is, she’s allowed to feel the way she did. I smiled when she said, “I had to talk to someone who won’t judge me. With all my knowledge of scripture and prayer. Someone who understands that empowering other women doesn’t mean that the ones doing the empowering do not break sometimes. I know at least you will listen and pray with me as well”.
It was truly an honor that I will forever cherish. I know what she was feeling quite too well; when everyone expects you to be unbreakable but you find yourself in situations where you're breaking at every turn. That, no matter how well-versed you are in scripture and prayer, the flesh can feel the pain it needs to. That, the people whom you love and cherish, the ones you have sacrificed so much for, will be the ones the devil will use to test your faith and what you profess to others in every shape and form. You will feel betrayed, rejected and abandoned and you even wonder if God is really with you and if He is, why will He allow all this to happen when you’re so busy working His field? The answer is “and why not?” Working God’s field does not exempt us from trials and tribulations. Matter of fact, the devil prides himself when he is able to use your own family members or close friends to test everything you stand for and are trying to accomplish in God’s Kingdom.
As I listened to her, God gave me divine wisdom to share some words with her. We prayed and during the prayers, God gave us insight into how to handle this situation the ‘God way.’ I called her the following day to check up on her. She sounded much better and she even said, “I feel really better just overnight, and to think that I have been feeling like crap all weekend before chatting with you.” I said to her that “God uses the night time to repair us”. She was so psyched about that and said, “whoa, that’s deep. A message on its own”. Honestly, I didn’t even think about what I said, I believe it’s wisdom from God.
Later on I started to think deeply about what I actually said and it is quite true. I think the words God had put in my mouth was a message for me as well. I started to look at so many instances where I went to bed broken, in tears and in pain, only to wake up the following morning renewed and wondering where all the bad feelings had flown to . There is something about the night time that is divinely mysterious. While the bible has a ton to say about night time encounters and even warns that we should be weary of the night time and its terrors, I strongly believe God uses the night time to fix His children. Science has taught us about all the repair work our body goes through when we are asleep, so much so that you will get a cut during the day, bleed a little and go to bed only to wake up and see the wound almost closed up and not burning as much as it did the day before. That is God - He put our entire anatomy together and set laws in place for healing to happen when our bodies are at rest. He also does the same with our minds and our spirits. He needs us WHOLE and as he said in 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”. The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 6:19 that our body is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, (paraphrased). This means that He God, being Holy and divine cannot dwell in broken and distraught places so wherever His spirit us, the vessel which is your body has to experience freedom. (Paraphrased from 2 Corinthians 3:17). Freedom from any and everything that destroys it, which includes distress.
When you have made God your all in all, though trials and pain may come, He will not sit back and watch them drown you. I can see Him so eager, waiting for you to just stop crying and complaining and close your eyes to take a rest so He can go to work. He performs a heart surgery on you while you’re sleeping, cleans out all your veins and arteries and resets your brain. Since every feeling stems from the brain, He pumps in a new adrenaline that speaks peace and rest to your mind, body and spirit. You will wake up renewed, restored and rejuvenated. Next time you get into a bad and restless place, know that the Holy Spirit is waiting to fix you up. Yes, you’ll wake up feeling better because God uses the night time to repair us.
I pray for you this week, that the spirit of God will fix you up in every area of your life that seems to cause you pain and anguish. Count it to Him to do His work impeccably. May all graces abound for you this week. Amen!
XOXO,
Lady Abena.
Midyear Crisis
Every time I turn on the news something bad is happening. If it’s not some crime, it’s a ‘model couple’ who are divorcing after decades of putting up with each other, or a powerful man of God suddenly transitioning to be with the Lord,….you just name it. There seem to be crises everywhere. Now, these are just the few that are made public for us to see, but, inwardly and individually, there are so many people battling what I call ‘midyear crisis’. Yes, just like the term ‘midlife crisis’. It has the same connotation here - just that this one can be experienced by people at different ages and stages of life, not necessarily in their middle age.
The beginning of the year brings so many good hormones to our hearts, spirit, body and soul. It’s like a reset for most people. It can even feel like a chance to redo life all over again. Almost everyone, whether they write it out, say it out loud or make a mental note - has at least one thing they look forward to or hope to accomplish in the year. New dreams, new hopes, new desires, and even new looks. People hope for better things: career, financial stability, finding life partners, growing spiritually or making some physical changes, etc. It’s part of our makeup as human beings to desire good and new things in our lives. So it’s just natural that when the middle of the year hits, and you take inventory of all the things you hoped to accomplish in the year and realize that you have not even attained one of them, you begin to feel all the negative effects which translates into frustration, remorse, depression and even anxiety. Yes - those are also some of the symptoms associated with midlife crisis.
It’s no surprise that most spiritual leaders engage their flock in midyear revivals, retreats, fasting, etc. to refuel their spirit-man which could be running out of steam and hope. If you have a spiritual leader like that, thank him or her because I personally have found this useful. We draw strength from the Lord and we also draw strength from each other. No man is an island so if you are blessed to be surrounded by such great witnesses, don’t take it for granted. The truth is, the feelings of frustrations and anxieties are real, because many people will end this year the same as last year. It’s a fact we will rather not say out loud or even presume to think - but it is what it is - a fact. Most of us have been praying on the same items or requests for years if not decades, and it can be scary to think that Christmas 2021 will be here soon and possibly situations would not have changed. Some people will even go from bad to worse, especially if they stay in the ‘midyear crisis’ zone. Those negative feelings only make the situation worse and if you don’t counteract them, you cannot overcome them.
Since we live not by the flesh and blood alone, but we also live by the spirit, I believe in the power of God and divine orchestrations. Why? Because I have seen Him move miraculously in my life and so many people that I cannot doubt Him even if I tried to. God can divinely intervene and change ANY situation. Every mountain seems unmovable until God shows up. The midyear crisis might be just what you need to propel you to also make a spiritual change for a better rest of the year. The many times I found myself in that situation, I failed miserably. I was so stuck in the midyear crisis zone so much so that I ended up experiencing everything I was anxious about. Fast forward to now, I’m doing it differently. I engage God and start asking questions only Him of course can answer. You really don’t want to hear my prayers and conversations with God. This is the time where I don’t do pretty prayers. My frustration turns into desperation to seek answers from God as to why things are not happening. The bible is very clear that “His plans for me are good, to prosper me and to give me hope and a future”. (Jeremiah 29:11, paraphrased), that means that He wants me to have my basic needs in life and even more. I also remember His promises to bless me when I obey His commands. He also said He will punish all disobedience when my obedience is complete. So, while I am not perfect, I strive to stay in alignment with His word and what He expects of me. I hope you understand why I go to Him full on, wanting to know what is holding up my blessings? Especially after striving so hard to do the things I need to do. Yes I also read that part that said our “...our good deeds are like filthy rags before the Lord”, (Isaiah 64:6), but, I tell God that “Father, in my flesh and blood, living in a world full of sin, a world that I didn’t ask for to be here and now I have to strive every day to give up its pleasures for the sake of your kingdom, every good deed I’m able to do, please count it worthy”. If I don’t know what it is that I need to pray about, release or annihilate in the spirit, I could spend the rest of my days and years waiting for those blessings to manifest and they might not. Well, I refuse to and I hope you also do - refuse to go through your days and years not seeing your prayers answered.
If you, like many, are experiencing midyear crisis now, do what I do - take it to the Lord in prayer or conversation, in tears or in a fast. Grab a chair and ask Jesus to come and sit on it so you can have a conversation with Him. Don’t be shocked though when He starts to speak to your heart and if your ears are inclined to listen, you might even think someone is speaking to you. It’s usually the Holy Spirit. He might even start to reveal things to you in your dreams and these are all good. When you hear from the Lord on matters concerning your life - it gives you hope and rest. Rest in knowing that God is working for you and maybe it’s not the right time for you to receive what you are desiring but that you will receive it or something better and bigger. Or, rest in knowing that He is empowering you to take down some altars that are impeding His glory to shine in your life. Whatever it is, you will feel much better and grow stronger.
I pray for you - that you will turn this season of crisis into a season of divine push for intimacy with the Lord. Only He can complete the year for you the way you dreamt it and desired in your heart. May the Lord visit you this week as you seek Him in all situations in your life.
XOXO,
Lady Abena.