When I was very young in my village church, we used to go to church most evenings for youth programs. We didn’t go particularly for prayers, but there was this brother who loved prayers and would turn almost everything into prayer—almost as though he had learned early to understand God during challenges and hardships.
I would kneel to pray with him, thinking the prayers would end in five minutes or less, but sometimes we continued for up to an hour.
At times during the prayer session, I would open my eyes and look at him to see if he was about to stop, but he wouldn’t even notice I was looking at him because he was so lost in prayer.
At first, it felt like punishment, but after a while, I got used to it and even started learning how to pray like him—what once felt inconvenient slowly became meaningful, teaching me in a quiet way when disappointment is mercy, and that not everything uncomfortable is meant to harm you.
We loved this brother so much because he knew the Word and could pray. To me, he was more important than anyone else and represented a perfect picture of God.
One day, we came to church and news was everywhere that this brother was sleeping around. He was called and disciplined in church, but he left without submitting to the discipline.
Gosh! To me, it felt like a god had fallen. It was as if my whole world had collapsed. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I said to myself, if this brother can fall, then I don’t need to continue in this Christianity.
I was so discouraged and confused about what to do. At that moment, leaving the church felt like the best option—but somewhere deep within, a quiet reminder began to rise that when people forget you, God has not, even when those you looked up to fail and everything feels uncertain.
While I was still discouraged, unhappy, and thinking deeply, God spoke to me. He said,
“I did not call you to look at any man.”
Wow! That word came with such force that my anger and discouragement melted instantly. I apologized to God for looking to a man and decided from that day onward that no matter who the person is, I would never allow anyone to take the place of God in my life.
That message was so strong that till today, it is still very fresh in my heart.
I became fully convinced that even if my parents stopped serving Jesus, I would wave them goodbye and continue following Him—because I had begun to understand why God responds to His word more than our effort, and that my walk with Him had to be built on His truth, not on the consistency of people.
My parents were Christians before they gave birth to me, and they played a very important role in my life. Yet, if they stopped serving Jesus, I would still continue.
No one—I repeat, no one—would ever be able to discourage me from serving God again. It does not matter the title such a person carries. Titles are given by men anyway.
Glory to God that He does not leave us to ourselves in trying moments.
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