The night I almost died in my sleep: Spending time with Godsorry for the long read :(As Christians- at some point in our lives we all struggle with our quiet/prayer time with God. I once attended the Teenage Church where the topic coincidentally was Prayer. It was satisfying to know that even the Teens understood the importance of praying.
So, what is Pray? Why do we pray?
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America defines prayer as a doxology, praise, thanksgiving, confession, supplication and intercession to God. It is the way to renewal and spiritual life. Prayer is aliveness to God. Prayer is strength, refreshment, and joy. Through the grace of God and our disciplined efforts prayer lifts us up from our isolation to a conscious, loving communion with God in which everything is experienced in a new light. Prayer becomes a personal dialogue with God, a spiritual breathing of the soul, a foretaste of the bliss of God's kingdom.
Clearly, prayer is an important part of our walk as Christians. You may attend Church everyday of the week, be a dedicated worker, not sin (i.e. not commit adultery, fornication, hatred, unforgiveness, covetousness etc), and pay your tithes. But if you live a prayer-less life, the consequences are: becoming powerless, ungrateful, a play ground for the devil, and a defeated Christian; which takes me back to Sunday February 23rd, 2003 when I had a dream where I thought I had died and heading- only God knows where.
The below narration was written as soon as I woke up February 23rd, 2003.As usual, my daily routine every night is to read my daily guide and mumble some words to God- ‘NEVER forgetting to ask for mercy upon me, upon my spirit, body, and soul. And as usual.......................I would fall asleep.
This is real, God is real!!!
Recently, I had decided to take my Christian life more serious. I chose to change my ways that I know were not pleasing to God- and I have been successful; except for one thing, which made me guilty- ‘Quiet/ Prayer time’ with God. I just couldn't pray to God and meditate on his word. My prayer life was a joke - Unh!! Did I say prayer life? More like ‘mumbling life’.
My story................I woke with an aching body thinking I was dead and ‘probably’ going to hell. But I guess our God in his infinite mercy speared my life. I had a dream, I can’t remember much, but I can remember the main bits, and I shall try my possible best to relate what I can remember.
We were sent on a ‘mission’- me, my aunt (a Redeemed Pastor) and at the beginning it didn't seem so, but later on my 12 year old cousin and her two best friends were there. The mission was to go and get a female minister (whom happens to be London R.C.C.G.’s accountant- why her? I do not know) who was in some remote place to come and minister in our church. The journey was tedious. There were bushes and tall grasses everywhere, and one thing that I CAN NOT forget nor understand, were the numbers and types of insects and scorpions on the ground. Obviously, there was a lot of running in order to avoid stinging. What can I say? Thank God I was wearing good footwear.
We finally got to our destination; there was a big iron gate to enter the building. Entering the building was like entering somewhere totally different- no signs of scorpions what so ever. The scorpions were not close to the building talk less crawling on the building. When we got there, I sighed a sigh of big relief and swore to my aunty that I was NEVER coming back ‘here’ again- and I meant it! But she just smiled, I guess because she had realised that at that point of safety, I had momentarily forgotten we had to go back.
We met the female minister- she was wearing a purple sequenced skirt suit (you know them ‘funky’ skirt suits those S.U.’s wear- SMILES!!), and she had a little child in her buggy.
It was time for us to go back. Oh! I was terrified of the journey back. I remember seeing a ‘big’ man (white shirt, black/grayish trousers with a tie) in the building. He wasn't a Christian. I can’t remember what he was doing there- maybe looking at the interior to do some kind of construction work in the future. We opened the door, and the insects/scorpions were far ahead- you could barely see them. For some reason I remember something that had been spoken or rumored; about a little stream that had a wooden plank across it, in which a lot of people fall into and die.
With me, I had a Bible or a ‘book’ of God. When we started our journey back, it was my aunt, me, my cousin and her 2 friends, and the minister and her baby in a buggy. We started the journey- running and running so that one would not get stung. It was like the bushes and tall grasses represented obstacles that we had to overcome. We got to this stream, and low and behold, what we saw in it was the body of the ‘big’ man floating in it heads down- dead. I shuddered with fear. The wooden plank had fallen into the water and was damaged, so the obvious and only thing to do was to jump across. Fair enough, the distance across the stream was short so I wanted to go first. With the ‘book’ in my hand, I took a few steps back, ran, and jumped. And as I was going over the stream, the stream seemed to get wider and wider and I.........................fell in. But as I fell in, I screamed, “JESUS” and my ‘book’ fell in........................................................but, I survived. The distance I had covered was so minuet that I think all I had to do was to climb out of the edge I took off from. What saved me was the book, and so my aunty said.
At this point, it was only my aunt, my cousin and one of her friends and I at the stream. I don't know where the others were.
My cousin and her friend went for the jump, and you know what? Not only did they make it to the other side, there was a ‘BIG’ gap that they left on the other side. YEH! Tigeress!! ‘Aunty Tigeress!!!! Then, it was my aunts’ turn, and I thought to myself, ‘Uhn, this old woman at 40+, how would she carry herself and get to the other side?’ But my dear, low and behold, she did o!!!! And come to think of it, I can’t remember her landing on the other side- she must have been flying and flying (you kno sey na she wey born Jesus)...................................
Before she took off, she had said something to me in Yoruba - she said and I quote, “If you had been listening to me to pray and meditate for just 10minutes every day, then you would have gotten across the stream.” I was guilty but I thought to myself, if my aunt could jump then so can I. I took a few steps backwards, and with fear and hope, I took the biggest leap in my life and again, I fell into the water. This time around, I didn't swim or come out at the bank. No, not this time around. I went into total darkness and realised I was going to die. My dear, I struggled and struggled to swim up but as I did that, I went further down. I have never felt such great fear in my life.
The irony of it is that, in this dream, as I was sinking (mind you, I could still breath), I actually started to hope that it was a dream and tried waking up. It took me, what it seemed like forever, to wake up. And as soon as I did, I knew it was for REAL- my whole body was aching me and IS aching me still.
I guess what this dream means is, even if you stop doing wrong [stop being evil, wicked, disobedient, envious, jealous, greedy, selfish, vicious, and also stop drinking, smoking, reveling, fornicating; committing adultery, and rid yourself from lust, anger, rage, idolatry, malice, slander, filthy talks, orgies, evil desires and breaking promises/covenants etc (Galatians 5:14-20 & Colossians 3:5-8) and EVEN pay your tithes], it is not enough to get you to heaven nor let you live a long life here on earth. It is very important that you pray to God at all times. Spend time in His presence and seek His face, have a good relationship with Him, and meditate on His word.
I'm guilty of this, can u you say the opposite?
As for me waking up and my body aching, maybe I'm coming down with the flu (LOL!!!!!).
