I hear a voice…

The zoo was my favourite place in school. After my bed.

The first time I read Isaiah 30:21, I was at the zoo for my quiet time. It was peaceful, serene and devoid of enough animals to qualify the place as a zoo – maybe a tale of corruption and mismanagement in the Nigerian federal university system was somewhere in there but it was a safe space full of fresh air for me.

There was a swing, an old creaky one. I am sure it is way older than I am but that did not make me hesitate to place my weight on it before pushing myself forward and then letting the rusty mechanism take care of the rest.

This was three months after I’d said ‘Yes’ to Jesus. I’d never had this freedom to talk to anyone freely before, without any holding back or hesitation. I took advantage of it and I talked every moment I got.

I began to pour out my heart, it came out in long sentences, short words and eventually, tears that found their way to my lips. My eyesight got a lot more blurry than my myopia made seem normal to me, I could not see the trees in front of me or the pond that hosted the palish-green-looking alligators that I was sure had not been fed for a long long time.

It was not always like this. Sometimes I came here happy and other times like this day, I came here desperate for listening ears; knowing the emotions would find their way out once I began to be honest about my feelings. I was down and tired. Truly distressed.

I talked until I felt better. I did not hear anything from Him but I knew that He was listening, it was as sure as the sun would set tomorrow and the moon would shine afterwards. My hands found their way to my iPhone 7+, navigating to my YouVersion Bible app and when I came upon Isaiah 30:21, I could not stop staring:

If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying,
“Here is the road. Follow it.”
(gnb)

It changed everything for me. I would like to describe what I felt in that moment, ‘peace’ is too vague a word:

I felt confident – There is someone behind me who sees before me, since He watches my steps I can walk freely
I felt guided – I cannot wander too far, since Abba is behind me He will call my attention to my mistakes and I will be redirected
I felt sensitive to Him – Since God has said that I WILL hear His voice, then I will hear His voice. I don’t have to worry so much about my ability to hear because I trust more His ability to speak and make sure I hear
I felt assured – As long as God is behind me, looking at me, I cannot stay on the ground when I fall

In that moment, the tears came fiercely. God gave me the perfect word at a time when I knew nothing but the fact that God had given me a new life but I feared I would lose it. I thought I had to figure things out myself, I thought I was indisciplined for falling asleep when I prayed, I felt so guilty when I woke up late and missed my prayer time, I would cringe when I said a bad word and Ephesians 4:29 would pop up in my head. I knew the right things to do but it felt like my past did not just want to let go of me. My baggage was excess, making me trip too frequently while the guilt waited patiently for their turn, to devour me…

But not to God. All the while He was telling me to wait for Him, telling me not to run too fast. I did not have to figure things out by myself, we could do it together.

It’s been 10 months since this encounter at the zoo but those words from Isaiah do the same thing and even more since the first time I heard them. They can do the same for you and more.

I want you to remember, that everything you deem impossible or that you have given up on is possible by Him. See, He has promised! Can’t you see? He guides you along perfectly. You may miss a few steps but you WILL surely HEAR Him.

I pray for you, from the depths of my heart, that you begin to experience such wonderful fellowship in the Spirit and that it fills you with a quiet confidence in the Father. I declare this over you in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayers solve things and I would love to intercede for or agree with you to God. Please feel free to send your prayer requests here.

I love you but God loves you so much more my friend
Shalom ♥🕊✨