“David! Over here!” Mark exclaimed as he stood and waved frantically to attract David’s attention.”I’ve been waiting for you for hours. I just dozed off for a few minutes, only to wake up and find that you were done and almost out of my sight,” Mark said as he approached David.
David, who was happy to see his friend, shouted his usual greeting: “Mark! Mark! Man of Valor!”
The two friends shook hands and hugged each other. They had been friends since their first year on campus. Now, in their third year, the bond of friendship was stronger.
“David, please, don’t flatter me in this kingdom. Which one is ‘Man of Valor’ again? Between yourself and myself, who’s more valorous?” Mark laughed heartily as he said those words.
“I reserve my comments, bro,” David replied.
The last time they saw each other was two weeks ago. Every student was mandated to leave the school premises due to an international event that would be happening in their school. They had just resumed and David decided to pray in the church premises , where Mark coincidentally was studying.
“I’m happy to see you again, brother. How’s everyone at home? I think we should sit over there,” Mark said, pointing to a seat and heading towards it, with David tagging along.
“My brother, everyone is doing well, all glory to God,” David replied as he sat down and relieved himself of his heavy backpack. “How about yours?” he asked, turning to his friend, who had a broad smile on his face.
“Are you this happy to see me? Bro Mark, it’s just two weeks!”
Mark laughed and replied cheerfully, “David, you still don’t understand me, your friend. Didn’t I tell you that you’re now my genetic brother? God gave me 3 wonderful sisters from my mother, and a dear brother from another mother. So you can imagine how I feel now.”
“Thank you, brother. That makes you the fifth one to me. I think it’s high time you visited our boys’ quarters,” David said, and both friends erupted into laughter.
“So, David, I’ve been wanting to discuss an issue with you that’s been bothering me, but I haven’t had the chance because we’ve been busy. I don’t know if you’re in a hurry to catch up with anything? I’d like to talk about it now, if you don’t mind?”
“Oh, that’s alright. I don’t mind at all, brother. What’s the issue? I’m all ears,” David responded keenly.
“I’ll be honest with you, David. It’s been a while since we became friends, and I’ve been watching you closely…”
“Hmmm, I hope I’m safe here,” David teased.
Mark caught the joke and replied in a hushed tone, “Don’t worry, the cops won’t know.”
They laughed it off.
“Brother, there’s a character I really admire in you; it’s the way you spend quality time in God’s presence. I don’t know how you do it because I’ve been struggling to wait on God. My patience level is low. Anytime I set aside time to pray, I find this hastiness in me that swallows my desire to stay and pray.When you came in, I was reading at the colporteur stand but you didn’t see me. I observed how you spent a good three hours praying and interceding. That seems like an impossible feat to me. The highest I have prayed is for about one hour. I want to know how you do this? How are you able to spend so much time with God without the urge to give up?” Mark asked, pouring out his heart with all seriousness.
“My brother,” David began, “this issue of waiting on God is a kind of discipline in God’s kingdom. I’ve been in your shoes before, so I understand how you feel. Like I said earlier, it’s a spiritual discipline, but in God’s kingdom, this discipline is guided by the Holy Spirit. Our human nature is never willing to interact with God because the flesh always war against the spirit. If the Holy Spirit doesn’t help you to pray, you’ll always struggle and spend less time than you should.
Mark, it’s not about what I do to remain in God’s presence, but about how willing I am to let the Holy Spirit help me to communicate with God. It’s only the Spirit of God that can help us fellowship with the Father. This is clearly stated in Romans 8:26.
So, anytime we fellowship with God, we must first ask the Holy Spirit to help us because it’s a spiritual exercise. We can’t do spiritual things with physical strength. Just allow the Holy Spirit to help you, and you won’t even realize how much time has passed. Also, learn to carve out substantial time for fellowshipping with God.
“David concluded his admonition, and Mark nodded thoughtfully.
“I’m deeply grateful for this insight, David. Most times, I try to do it with my own strength. Maybe that’s why I find it hard. From now on, by God’s grace, I’ll start by asking the Holy Spirit for help and see how far He takes me,” Mark replied.
“You’ll be amazed to see how far you’ll go, Mark. Let’s pray together, brother.”
“Oh yes, please.”
The two friends prayed together, and Mark’s devotional life got transformed. He found it easier to pray whenever he asked the Holy Spirit to help him.
This is a gentle reminder to trust the Holy Spirit to help us in our walk with God. Sometimes we forget and get stuck in prayers. However, he is always there to help us if we are willing to let Him take the wheel. We can’t prevail by our own strength. It is only through the help of the Holy Spirit that we can patiently wait on God until our prayers are answered.God bless you