Even So, Come Lord Jesus, Come

Bayo stepped into the cab seething in his heart.
He had just left his family house in Ibadan and as usual Ada his wife had gotten into all sorts of stupid fights with his mom and dad.

Why must this happen every single time they had to go home. Couldn’t Ada let them have some family time in peace?

“Oga pay your money oh. Na 1500 to Lagos”.

He looked at the conductor guy and simply gave him some money from his wallet, and immediately dismissed him from his mind, paying no heed to him.

His mind was on Ada.

And see now, the slime of a wife was calling him.

She called thrice and when he didn’t pick, sent him a message…

“Hey baby… I would be staying over at my friend Funmi’s place for the new year. I will go back to the family house when you are back”.

Bayo heaved a sigh of relief. Good thing she didn’t decide to come with him to Lagos, he didn’t think he could stand her for one minute in this frame of mind.

“I mean Lord… the lady is just too cantankerous. How can you fight with everyone in a family?”

Bayo knew that there was trouble when he married Ada an Igbo girl into his strictly traditional family but he didn’t think for a minute that his wife would clap back his mom and sisters.

The still small voice said “but Bayo.. you didn’t protect her. A man should protect his wife against outside influence even if this influence is from his own family…”

Bayo groaned. Holy Spirit… DEFINITELY NOT NOW.

He had been called back to the office on an emergency job schedule during the holidays and he had happily cut short the festivities with family to travel on December 31st just to get away from his wife.

He looked up as a slim well dressed lady entered the cab and sat beside him. She was tapping her fingers on her phone rapidly. She had such a strain on her face. He smiled. He wasn’t alone.

****
Thelma stopped texting her boss for a moment as the Holy Spirit again tugged at her.
He wanted her to preach in the cab.

“Arrrrghhhh.. Lord, not now”.

She was being pulled every which way with an overdemanding boss! She had just stepped into Ibadan to meet up with her fiance for the Yuletide when her boss called her that their Chinese investors had just arrived in Lagos and she wanted her to sit in on a dinner with them. She was expected to tell them about the company, put their best foot forward and at the end of the evening ensure that she left with a promise of more investment from them.

She was livid and at the same time could not say no. She had barely lasted a year at the job and didn’t want to be seen as an unserious employee.

She had no notes and had left all her slides at Lagos.

She had to rush down to her apartment, pick up her slides, refresh her memory a bit and look for what to wear. The dinner was for 9pm and this was already 4pm and they were still in Ibadan.

And on top of that her boss couldn’t stop sending her messages and voice notes dictating what to say to her.

“Arrrrghhh Holy Spirit.. not now. I am such a mess in my head. There is no way that I can string two thoughts coherently in my head right now. Just lets begin the journey and let me rest a bit. Then I will preach.”

****

Fafo entered the cab going to Lagos. He stepped in and saw two persons sitted at the back; a man and a woman.
He greeted them. “Good afternoon oh”.

He settled in and continued drifting in with the thoughts in his head.

He had just finished burying his father and felt so sad and depressed.

His phone beeped.

“Guy.. where my pictures ohhhh?”

Fafo was a photographer based in Lagos and had had so many jobs during the yuletide season. He couldn’t even function during the burial plans and so lots of his customers were on his neck.
He replied “guy chill… I dey enter Lagos now. I will send you your pictures as soon as I settle down in Lagos”.

****
Thelma stopped typing for a minute as the Holy Spirit kept tugging at her to preach in the cab. But this was more than preaching; this was a literal flogging.

“Holy Spirit I will preach. I just want to settle my head down for about 10 minutes and I will preach. The journey is still long nah…”

***
Moses the bus preacher stood by the cab whose turn it was to leave for Lagos. He was waiting to pray for the passengers when the driver entered the cab and sped off.
Ah. He really had felt led to pray with them oh but what can one do?

“Lord let me go to the other bus…”

***
The journey to Lagos had lasted for about 5 minutes or so.
Thelma was just getting ready to preach when she saw something that looked like a large trailer coming at them.

Bayo spoke up: “driver swerve na. Swerve! Swerve!”

Fafo thoughts were going up rapidly a million a minute. He thought of his undone work. He thought of his mother. He thought again of all his dreams.

Bayo kept screaming “driver swerve na.
Swerve!”
‎
When that had no effect… he frantically brought out his phone intending to dial Ada’s number but his hands were shaking so badly he couldn’t even remember  how to dial a number.

“Oh Lord.. I should have picked her call. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry”.

Thelma had gone into shock as the trailer kept coming close to them.

She began to scream “give your life to Christ. Please give your life to Christ”

But no one was listening. They were in all such a frenzy her voice couldn’t even carry above the den of screams.

“But I just wanted 10 minutes to rest Lord; just 10 minutes. 10 minutes. I promise I was going to preach. I was going to preach. I am so sorry…”

Fafo again thought about his dreams. Was this where it would end? On the way back to Lagos?

******
The trailer hit the little cab at the speed of a lightning per second. The cab was no match for it.

******
All of a sudden all went blank.

Thelma. Bayo. Fafo.

All they could hear was the sound of darkness.

Dink. Dink. Dink.

Blackout.

Blackout.

*****
Study Question And Insights:

Its hard to imagine the last thoughts in a person’s mind when he is face to face with death.

On January 3rd 2018 I heard about the death of a young and talented guy who had been a photographer at our Church.
His name was Fafo. He had died on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway while on the way back to Lagos. It was a tragedy.
He had just gone home to bury his dad and on the way back he lost his own life.

It has been on my mind to string together the last thoughts of a man when he is faced with death.

The truth is that every person who enters a cab or a bus to travel somewhere has a story. They have thoughts. They have people they just left behind. They have unfinished businesses too.
Unfinished business with their dreams..
Unfinished business with their family..
Unfinished business with the things God has told them to do..
Unfinished business with their bosses and colleagues..

And most of the time we are either on our way to finish these unfinished businesses or we are running away from finishing them.

Bayo wanted to cool down before he spoke to his wife again… but was it worth it at the end? Letting a wound from an offence fester?

Fafo had a lot of customers he had to answer too. He had a lot of dreams left undone for his photography business BUT TIME RAN OUT ON HIM.

Why would I die so young with a lot left undone?

Why would I meet Jesus still full of all He has put in me?

Thelma wanted to please her boss and be a serious worker. But why should we please our bosses and ignore the Holy Spirit?

More than ever before I am hit by the fact that the time is so short.
THE TIME IS SO SHORT.

LET HIM THAT IS RUNNING.. RUN AND WHILE YOU RUN, LIVE READY.

Can a man’s thoughts before His death be “I am ready Lord?”

Can a man’s thoughts every day he walks out of his house be “Jesus if you come today or I die today I am good?”

It can.

We can LIVE READY.

Unforgiveness.
Seething with offences.
Disobedience to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
Placing our jobs and work above the leading of the Holy Ghost.
Walking our way with no thought for the times and seasons upon the earth..

It can end today.

We can live ready.

You can live ready.

FOR THE TIME IS SO SHORT.

Call that brother you stormed out of today.

Call your friend who you love.

Run with the vision God has given you.

Love up on your husband and wife. Forgive. Erase their offenses. Start afresh. Its not worth it.

Preach when He tugs at you to do so. DO IT NOW.

Live ready.

Be fully clothed.

Be fully clothed.

THE TIME IS SO SHORT.

“He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
Revelation 22:20‭-‬21 NKJV

Hephzibah Frances
Scribe for the Lord
www.hephzibahfrances.com
Email bookings@hephzibahfrances.com cc okorofrances@gmail.com for your inquiries, questions or even if you just need help/someone to talk to.

God bless you.