There are five years between my first two children; so by the time my second child reached the “fantastic twos” as I love to call it rather than the “terrible twos”, it was a whole new learning curve for me. The part that gets me all drained out was the inquisitive nature displayed at that phase. Nothing passes her without a question. “Mummy, what is that?”, “Who is that?”, “What happened”. The list is endless and even after giving her the right response, she could go on asking the same question another six times! If all the questions didn’t have obvious answers, it wouldn’t have been that wearisome, but questions like, “Mummy, are you a woman?” “Is daddy a man?” “Am I a sister?” came at the time when she already knew the answers. She already knew she was not a mummy, yet my daughter would ask if she was a mummy. I had to find a solution to this without saying too much, especially when she asked questions with obvious answers, so I would respond with the same question. For example, if she asked, “Mummy, are you a woman?” I would respond with “Is mummy a woman?” to which she answers with a smile and a “Yes”. Case closed!
One day, I was listening to a message by a prominent Nigerian cleric who said we go to God asking questions to which we already have the answers. As a young lady, you are a strong believer of Jesus Christ and here comes a man who doesn’t even believe God exists, drinks, is given to fits of anger and raises his voice and hands at you at the slightest provocation but because you think time and age is not on your side, to ease your aching conscience, you keep asking God if you can go ahead into marriage with such a man when you know too well what the answer is.
We already have answers to many of the questions we go to God for. On the pages of the Holy Bible are words of instruction and direction that apply to every facet of our life. {All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. II Timothy 3:16}. It will be self-deceiving to think we can arm-twist God in the place of prayer by making Him rubber-stamp our self-absorbed demands. If you do this for too long, you will get answers according to the idol of your heart.
Let us not behave like little children in their “fantastic twos” who already know the answers to questions yet think we can wriggle our way into our selfish wants through importunity. So, whenever you come to this point in your life where you need answers from God, ask yourself the same question, come to a scriptural and dispassionate conclusion about the situation. Answer the question yourself, the answer is already in your spirit and take the right steps in the right direction.
“But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding,” (Job 32:8).
Kemi Adeyemi
