Yesterday was quite a day, a day like no other. I suffered. I spent money. But it ended in praise. I’d gone in search of my classmate. A classmate who was my very good friend. A classmate and friend who was my school son. Interestingly, I found him somewhere close to where seemed to me like the tail end of the earth, and I hope this imagery gives you an idea of what time and money my journey must have taken from me.

And then there were too many things to talk about, having to catch up on the past 11 years, having to count our blessings – naming them one by one. Of course, it did surprise us what the Lord has done.

And then we talked about ‘relationship with God.’ He shared with me a principle that has guided and sustained his relationship with God, one that has left him always meaningfully encountering God. He said to me:

“Before I go to God in prayer over any matter, I imagine God coming down to ask me, ‘What have you done about it yourself?’ And if it turns out that I haven’t done enough, that I haven’t reached the end of my human strength, I don’t make the prayer. Instead, I first go get what I have to do done, so I can have the confidence to approach God. Sitting before God, I like to have that assurance that what I’ve brought to him is something only God can do – and not something I should’ve taken care of myself.”

Could you please read the above paragraph as many times as you need to have it sink in? I think Homer was right, that the [gods] are not in the habit of doing for humans what humans must do for themselves.

You need God to fix your finances? What have you done? You need him to fix your health? What have you done? Your education, relationship, career? What have you done? Frankly, the worst hit on Nigeria’s Christian experience is the mentality that we don’t have to do anything, that we just need to wait on God to act, that we insult God by meddling with divine intervention. God must have been laughing at us all along, saying something like, “Poor Nigerians.” lol!

I recommend you test your confidence before tabling your matter to God. And you can do that by simply asking yourself: “What have I done?”