THE TRIAL: After the darkness comes the light.

The Black and Unending Hours of 10.09.2016.

Today marks the one year remembrance of one of the worst nights of my life, 10th September 2016. It was indeed a black night.

I remember this dark experience as if it was just yesterday, unlike other similar stories where the victim purports happened fast, this one in fact seemed endless.

It was examinations period, I and my friend had spent the whole day in the library preparing enormously for our forthcoming exams. It was around 9p.m, we were on our way home from campus when it all happened.

My friend was not more than five (5) feet infront of me while I was with my phone in my hands with its torch on as we walked down the bushy path (our normal route home).
From nowhere, I saw a masked young man standing infront of me, his right hand already on my phone and he began ordering me to turn torch off. At that point, I wasn't even bothered, instead I was telling him to let me turn it off myself (chuckles). I looked towards the direction of my friend and saw him amidst two other people already forcing him to lie on the mud, it was then that it all came to me, that we are being ambushed.

I quietly submitted my phone, after which I was told to lie down, which I humbly did without asking any question. As I turned my face to look at the captors, what I saw was a cutlass pointed at my face, as if I was about to be beheaded.
I would admit, I was panicking and was really scared, all I could think of was that this could be my end and I started to wonder who I had offended to the extent that he/she would want to attack me.

I was then asked, what was in my bag, in which I answered honestly. The armed robbers collected the bag pack which contained my laptop with its charger, textbooks and notepads, power bank, extra memory card, A.T.M card, extra phone battery, the seized phone's charger, a flash drive, a card reader and other accessories.
As if that wasn't enough, the selfish robbers also requested for my wrist watch, which I gave them.
Ha, still not satisfied, they started searching me, took the cash that was in my pocket and was still pulling my belts (I started thinking maybe they wanted the belt also). Something very strange happened as the search was ongoing, my pockets were searched, cash was taken but God's money wasn't (My Tithe).

They then faced my friend, luckily for him, he had already taken advantage of the opportunity to hide his phone. They interrogated him but got nothing, they decided to take his bag, emptied everything out, but couldn't find anything of interest, so they opted to take the empty bag.

In my hearts, all I wanted was for a passerby to come to our aid but no one passed that road throughout the entire period. These robbers were so comfortable that they started slapping my friend on his cheeks and making all sorts of useless jokes aimed at making us fear, so we kept pleading and telling them we did nothing to them.

Oh finally, from the mercy of their heart, they decided to stop the torment and then told us to run off. We stood up, took the heels and went straight to our faculty, narrated the story to a few people and to the security officer present but we got an even more discouraging response. The security officer was scared to follow us go after the robbers, so we decided to chase them on our own but they were long gone.

It was still like a joke to me, I kept on laughing and laughing but hoping someone would shake me into reality or if possible wake me up from this nightmare. We stopped the chase and headed for home, then I realized what just happened. It was like my whole world crashed down to my face, all my hard work and personal studies for the semester were taken and I was left with nothing to help me study for my examination.

It was then my head started flooding with God this, God that.
I went on my knees and started praying, before I knew it tears were rolling down my eyes and I wasn't praying anymore, I started accusing God for being a bad father and protector, I was so furious. I started to wonder If His promises to me were even true, I started to question Him and ask how he would allow them rob me of all my belongings and protect only His. I was buttered even in my spirit.

I asked my roommate who still had his phone but was still in shock to call my parents. On the phone with them, they tried to encourage me but I wasn't even paying attention to a bit of what they were saying, all I wanted to do was scream all through the night.

Still in tears, I picked up a very old 'Seeds of Destiny' (Dunamis Daily Devotional Guide) which I had a bunch of in my room. I opened a random page and started reading, it was the story of Job.
Should I call it coincidence? It couldn't be a Coincidence, this was God's responds to me.

I then realized that I was all talk, I couldn't even withstand the little storm. I thought to myself, what did I lose that Job didn't lose more?
I started consoling myself, but I couldn't stop thinking of it. That day passed and morning came. I was expecting to see the joy that comes in the morning but instead I got to realise the more that the attack was real and it was last night. Not long after I was up, was my whole family knocking at my door, I welcomed them and narrated the story, I left with them and we headed for the police station, then they took me home, tried to put me back together but I was still broken.

I returned back to school that same day, went to the school security office with my friend and we gave a detailed report of what happened, I went to my fellowship and pleaded with everyone in case someone happens to come across my bag pack or even any of my belongings most especially my books, probably thrown somewhere or anywhere.

Some days after (still recovering from the encounter), I was in fellowship when someone came out to testify that his family got an accident and he lost his sister, he was thanking God that it wasn't worse.
Oh! What a painful one I said to myself, how could I cry over earthly possessions when someone is strong enough to still thank God for the loss of a life so dear to him. I felt ashamed of myself, I felt like a hypocrite. I knew God was disappointed in me for allowing the things of the earth affect my relationship with Him. So I buckled up, and consoled myself the more.

Not long after, I got news that I just lost an uncle. I started thinking of my cousins, the poor children. How would they face life without their father?
Oh! what a series of events.

I got to my uncle's house, together with my crying cousins and then the words began to flow. I wondered how I got the right words to encourage them, and just then I realized God had prepared me for the task. I had to pass through that storm in order to help pick others from a more greater storm.

Woah, so that's it? The scriptures didn't lie, I just knew them but didn't experience how real they were until that moment.

I was strong enough to write my examinations successfully, God gave me the strength and truly it was one of my best examinations.
After the examinations, I went home for the break and that was when i read Pastor Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life. The book indeed blessed me, it made me understand that I have been transformed by trouble, i got to know that the trial was a test of faith and at the end of it, which was orchestrated to make me stronger and better. My faith was indeed strengthened by that trial.
It was during that period, I came in contact with lots of scriptures that even up till now is keeping me going anytime am faced with a storm, no matter the turbulence.
Biblical Scriptures like:
     –2 Corinthians 4:17
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."
The Bible in Romans 8:28- 29 didn't say God causes everything to work together the way we want it.
Everything is planned by God, there are no accidents, God doesn't make mistakes. Everything, absolutely everything is for His glory.

I'd admit, though the dark experience hunted me for months, I kept on dreaming about it (different versions of how the incident could have taken place) but at the end of the tunnel was light, Joy indeed came in the morning and the sorrow only lasted for a night. I came out stronger, I came out a better Christian and I am forever thankful to God for that night for it has become a bitter sweet experience of my life, which took from me but still impacted me greatly.

We must all know that "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those who are crushed in spirit."
Never let situations weigh you down for they are nothing but stepping stones.