The Connect

The Connect
(Written by Joy A. Adewumi)

'So, I was thinking I could just travel to IB tomorrow and make the needed stop at Abeokuta on my way back, you know, kill two birds with a stone. What do you think?' Karen asked her friend with whom she was discussing her travel plans for the weekend. Her question, however, was greeted with a protracted silence and Karen peeped into the room from the kitchenette where she was preparing dinner.

She was surprised and amused to find that her friend, Jolade had zoned out of the conversation and was now staring into space.

'Babe?' She called trying to get Jolade's attention. No answer. Wawu!

'Babes!' She belted out and Jolade jerked upright, turning her face in Karen's direction.

'Sorry, you said?' Jolade asked sheepishly as she shook her head with a smile.

'Wow! That was pretty serious! You looked like you had some heavy stuff on your mind. Any problem?'

'Nothing serious.' Jolade replied with a wave of her hand to dismiss the issue.

Karen didn't believe her and she felt a nudge to insist.

'No, that didn't look like nothing serious. C'mon, talk joor.' She cajoled.

'How do you know it's nothing serious?' Jolade asked narrowing her eyes at Karen.

'Well, something tells me it isn't.' Karen replied as she dried her wet hands and returned to the kitchenette to check her cooking.

'Something or the Holy Spirit?' Jolade's question reached Karen from the adjoining room. Karen's fingers stilled for a moment on the knob of the gas stove she was about to turn off, then, she replied after turning it off, as she walked to join her friend on the single bed in the self-contained room.

'Well, you always have this... I don't know... Let's say, weird look on your face whenever I say the Holy Spirit told me something. So-' Karen was explaining, but Jolade cut in,

'So, you got around to calling the Holy Spirit 'something', because you don't want to make us both uncomfortable?'

'Jeez! You make me sound blasphemous when you put it that way!' Karen whined. Jolade simply sighed with a roll of her eyes.

'Okay, fine! You're right. Now, back to the point. What's wrong with you?'

Jolade stared at Karen for a few seconds and replied,

'It's been in my mind so long now that I felt I should be able to articulate it if I have to, but now that I have the opportunity, I don't know how to put it.'

Karen smiled and replied,
'Put it anyway. If the Holy Spirit has put answers on my lips, I'm sure whichever way you put it, He'll interpret it to my understanding.'

'That's the thing! This thing between you and the Holy Spirit, how does it happen? How can you be so sure the Holy Spirit is the one talking or even sense Him at all?

'While you were cooking, I caught sight of your open jotter and the words I read got to me. How do you catch that kind of Rhema during your Bible study? I can barely keep up the routine of reading my Bible, talk less of having such a good time at it.' Karen opened her mouth to talk, but before she could, Jolade continued.

'What's wrong with my own Christianity? I've actually had this issue since Campus, but now it feels like pure torment having a close friend who speaks like the Holy Spirit is her roommate. Do I need to revisit my salvation again? Because, trust me, I've done that over and over and again.' Jolade poured out her thoughts with her fingers and hands dancing wildly in the air.

A grin danced on Karen's lips as she stared at her friend. Jolade glanced at Karen and said,

'Babe, I just poured out my heart here, and I'm sure I asked a question or two in there. So, what's funny?'

'I thought you said you didn't know how to put it. You went beyond 'putting' there, my dear. You poured.' Karen replied laughing. Jolade also smiled as she rolled her eyes.

'You're not serious. Wo, answer me jare.'

'Okay, you see, I don't think the problem is with your salvation experience. I think it's with your relationship. You know, the connect.' Karen answered turning fully to face Jolade.

'The relationship? Connect? Wait! Is my salvation not tantamount to my relationship with God?' Jolade asked, confusion marring her beautiful features.

Karen closed her eyes briefly, and prayed for the right words and then replied,

'Not exactly. Your salvation experience is the start point of the relationship God wants to have with you, but it's not the relationship itself.'

'Okay?' Jolade said, but Karen could still sense her confusion, so she explained further.

'You see, it's like an introduction and a friendship. An introduction, a meet, a first encounter is needed before a friendship can begin right?'

'Yes?' Jolade answered as she nodded repeated, understanding dawning on her.

'But an introduction does not always lead to friendship if the needed effort is not put into it, right?' Karen asked.

'Yes.'

'Now, salvation is like an introduction, your first encounter with God. You know, the meet that opens the opportunity for a relationship?' Karen expounded.

'I get. That means some more stuff asides the initial salvation have to be done before I can claim to have a relationship with God. That's what you're saying, right?' Jolade asked.

'Right! Exactly!' Karen quipped.

'So, what do I have to do to kickstart the relationship?' Jolade asked.

'No, make no mistake. You actually kickstart the relationship at salvation. Now, what you need to do is to make the relationship work. To increase and maintain your intimacy with Him. To have such a heightened awareness of Him that you can hear and understand Him easily.' Karen explained, watching Jolade's features intently for signs of confusion or understanding.

'So, how does that happen?' Jolade who looked like she was getting the flow, asked.

'I know you must have heard this before. This time however, I want it to make sense. So, rather than just tell you, let me ask a question: How do you develop a relationship with someone you just met?' Jolade mulled on the question for only a split of a second before she began enumerating.

'Talk? Discuss. Always show up! Be nice. Come through. Spend, be spent?'

'Chai! Babe, your head is working. You just answered your own question.' Karen laughed.

'My own ques...tion?' Jolade trailed off, but Karen could tell from her features the moment she got the message.

'Prayer!' Jolade shrieked.

'Yes, sweets, prayer.' Karen replied with a satisfied smile.

'But not just the nominal, to fulfil-all-righteousness prayer. We're talking meaningful, deliberate prayer, hence my question.'  Jolade nodded her understanding and Karen continued.

'This is more than the after-Bible-reading mutterings you do, or the fire-brigade approach when you need something, or the after-and-before-sleep routine, you have to be more concerted and deliberate in your efforts. It involves setting apart time to really communicate with God as the Spirit assists you. It is an intentional decision to bond with Divinity.'

'Oh my! I get it. You know the way we make friends on Facebook, and for the first few days, we just keep doing the cursory, empty greetings and then somehow we get tired of the routine and the thread ends; compared to when we kick off with meaningful discussions and talks that matter. And before we know it, we become pivotal in each other's lives. I suppose that explains the difference between what I've been doing and what you've been doing.' Jolade explained, gesticulating wildly again.

'Exactly!' Karen replied, and added,

'Though it's not easy at first, it is worth the while and in time, it becomes so part of you that, a day feels very abnormal without a set apart time of prayer. In fact, at some point, it goes beyond the special hours you dedicate to it each day and it becomes interwoven into every thread of your life. That is, in everything you do, your first thought is to pray.'

'Wow!' Jolade looked very excited.
Karen smiled and continued,

'And believe me babe, when I say this connect does wonders! It inadvertently brings you closer to God. Because when you pray, the Spirit of God teaches you to pray, so you get to pray about what matters.

'It also produces a better you, because you're moved to pray about those things that make you less than what God desires of you per time.

'It makes you sensitive to the voice of the Spirit because, the connect is there and you enjoy constant communication with Him.

'It makes you more like the Savior too, because prayer nourishes the nature of Christ in us, causing us to bear the fruit of the Spirit. It also pushes out sin, because like Leonard Ravenhill wrote in his book, Why Revival Tarries:

"A praying man will stop sinning and a sinning man will stop praying." Jolade was just shaking her head, speechless at that point, so Karen went on.

'Constant prayer makes your Bible study more profitable and enjoyable too, because the mere letter kills, that is, it has no life-giving ability of its own, but it's the Spirit of God that gives life. And remember you would have no problems with the presence of the Spirit, because prayer increases your intimacy with the Spirit.

'Your interest in godly things also skyrockets and you find more joy doing what makes God happy. Finally, prayer encourages, uplifts, and fills you with the joy, love and peace of God.'

'There's a caveat though.' Karen added quickly

'What's that?' Jolade asked.

'Remember that point you mentioned about always coming through, when you answered my question earlier?'

'Yes' Jolade replied, her brows forming a deep V, apparently wondering where Karen was going with this.

'Well,' Karen continued, 'It's the same here. Obedience is key. When the Spirit of God instructs you, you can't play deaf or go your own way. It causes problems in the relationship like any other relationship. You have to be on the same page. You have to come through on each of His instructions.'

'Oh, wow! I never imagined having a functional relationship with God worked so much like our earthly relationships.' Jolade commented.

It sure does.' Karen replied and added.
'Ultimately, constant communication with God makes you a better version of you everyday.'

'Oh my word! Karen! Wow! How did I not know all of these before now?' Jolade asked as she shot up to her feet.

'Well,' Karen shrugged,
'I didn't know either till someone told me and I discovered some of them for myself.'

'Thank you so much Karen, you just gave me what I need to come out of my misery. But, hey!' Jolade called as she paved the length of the room,

'Yea?'

'I need a huge favor from you.'

'Name it.' Karen answered with a smile, sensing what was coming.

'Can you be my prayer partner? Help me get into this beautiful habit and life of prayer. Keep me accountable and on my knees. Make sure I pray even when I try to excuse myself. Can you do that for me?' Jolade had a serious pleading look on her face.

Karen's smile grew wider as her heart filled up with a warmth.

'Jolade. I'd be privileged to do that.'

'Ah! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!' Jolade sang as she walked towards Karen, who was also on her feet now and took her hands in hers.

'Don't mention.' Karen replied. 'This is also for me. I mean, more prayer time? Bliss!' And both ladies burst into happy laughter.

THE END!

*********************
Sweet Hour of Prayer
(Written by William W. Walford
Composed by William B. Bradbury)

Sweet hour of prayer
Sweet hour of prayer
That calls me from a world of care
And bids me at my Father's throne
Make all my wants and wishes known
In seasons of distress and grief
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter's snare
By Thy return, sweet hour of prayer.

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