"CHURCH STREET; The Spirit Is Willing But...”

“CHURCH STREET; The Spirit Is Willing But…”

Episode 3

“Listen up people! It’s a new day on this street and I hope you make the best out of this day. Indeed, it is a gift to be alive and it is a gift to give back to God by living right. Today is the fifth day of Greater Works so I hope you make it and be blessed.” The presenter of Hill radio said on the morning show.

I worked as a mobile banker for a savings and Loans Company till I later got myself a job as the sales executive for Moesha Commercial Bank, a year after my national service. As stressful as this position was, I managed my time to make it to other necessary social events. Well, it was my long-held prayer to land myself a job and not roll in the courts of unemployment so I appreciated it no matter what.

I danced my heart out in church after this breakthrough.

Each day of my office duty was packed as a tight box of an industrial package. The slightest act of mistake could send you packing out of the employed sector to the unemployed so I performed my duties with a ‘double-lense’. A year working in the bank, I received a bombshell. The bank was dissolved after the Bank of Ghana found its license a highly forged one.

I became unemployed after the hills came down.

I spent six months looking and searching for a job from every angle; newspapers, internet, friends, family, and sent out applications. The hustle was indeed real when I faced various terms and conditions, rejections and bargains, just to find myself a job. It went as far as some employers demanding they make a way in my pants though there was no way for them.

I couldn’t exchange my body for a job so I ditched the ‘flesh sucking’ employers and continued to surf for other jobs. Hm! Tragedy of an unemployed lady.

I did what I could from prayer to fasting, all-night to spiritual retreats just to pull through. Charley, I roamed the streets of Accra from one company to the other till I landed myself a job as a mobile banker again. I accepted the offer at least, to keep myself going, along seeking for another job. Walking through the sun from morning to evening was a heck of a job. Some days, I missed my previous job which I labeled as stressful. My shirt or dress would always get soaked up with sweat after each day’s work. It felt uncomfortable at certain vital sections of my body. I would throw myself on my bed, tired and weak after work.

I sometimes slept till the next morning after surrendering myself to my bed, only to wake up the in the morning and realize I didn’t take supper for the previous day.

It was five months working as a mobile banker when a friend invited me for a corporate prayer section with a renowned man of God. I believed that was my point of breakthrough so I accepted and promised to avail myself after work. I did.

We arrived at the house of Rev. Benson that evening nearing the hours of 8PM on the Friday. As serious as I wanted to pray and experience a time of restoration, I went straight in my office attire in all seriousness to “kabey”. The handshake from Rev. Benson and the hospitable ambience of the house pruned my tired self to embrace strength.

“Today, we will pray!” I said to myself.

I began to summon every prayer topic in mind before the real deal begins. First on the list was spiritual growth, a new job opportunity, followed by family matters, my future, and my boyfriend who broke my heart six months ago whom I wanted God to punish. Of course, He wasn’t going to heed to the last request.

I was fired up to an extreme level that I started whispering tongues on my lips. I tapped my feet several times in anticipation in the couch. My spirit was ready as a Prophet waiting on the voice of the Lord. I downloaded a spiritual readiness in a steady mood. My strength was renewed after the long wait.

We started the prayer session after my friend and I were offered fruit juice and a comforting moment of Gospel songs been played to awaken our spirit. It was few minutes past 10PM.

We started with worship, praises and later zoomed into prayer in the living room. We were seven in number; Rev. Benson, his wife, three children, my friend and I.

The rank of tongues I witnessed that night was beyond my ears. I was on fire on each of the prayer topics that was released. I approached it with seriousness and tenacity to endure through to the end. I prayed!

One hour into the prayers, my strength began to dwindle. I started yawning. The tiredness in the day’s activity was overtaking me. My eyes were ‘slippery’ as wet grounds. I did my best to open my eyes, wide as the gates of a welcoming church but its hinges kept shutting them.

I couldn’t keep up.

I knelt down to pray, but my ‘sleep mode’ was upstanding. I shook my head to dust off the sleep from eyes but it was stuck to my eyeballs like glue. Even the water I used to wash my face didn’t do me any good; it rather took me on a journey on the rivers of sleep.

I laid on the floor to pray but that was worse. I couldn’t be weak in spirit. No! I didn’t have to disgrace myself either, else Rev, Benson would use me as his sermon in one of his teachings. I was like Peter and Simon who couldn’t wait and pray as Jesus had instructed when he headed towards the mountain to pray.

I crawled behind the couch with the intention of sleeping for a while and then wake later to join the prayer session. I didn’t know it was an all-night prayer meeting. I made myself confortable and lay down in green pastures. In a twinkle of an eye, I was fast gone in the dreamland dreaming about a whole lot of things.

I slept well.

The next thing I felt was a tap on my shoulder to wake up. It was my friend. I raised my body and pretended to be praying seriously to know the prayer session had long ended and it was a bright morning.

Yuck!

In a sleepy face, I looked across the living room to see everyone seated at the dining table enjoying breakfast. That was one of the moments you would wish the earth opened its mouth to swallow you. The shyness and disgrace was heavy to bear. My feet were heavy as the earth when I moved it slowly towards the dining table.

All eyes were on me like Jesus just entered to enjoy the ‘last breakfast’. Oh my goodness, I was shy towards everyone, but I wasn’t shy at the sumptuous breakfast.

“Make yourself comfortable” Rev. Benson said to me in a smile.

I pulled a chair back and rested my body on it comfortably. The two young children of Rev. Benson giggled. I couldn’t believe myself. It was a height of embarrassment. I served myself in a tiny cup of tea and asked Mrs. Benson to please pass me the tin of milk. Such boldness I had.

I mean, the damage had already occurred so I just had to try act normal, though this was going to be hanged on the walls of history.

I kept my head down in shame in the entire breakfast period till my friend and I left the house.

I really wanted to pray to the end but, charley, my spirit was willing and body was unwilling. Sleep indeed is for the weak in flesh.

And yes, I had my breakthrough when Rev. Benson listened to my story and asked me to send him a copy of my CV. That’s how he linked me to my current job as the assistant Operations Manager of a multinational company after two years of rising through ranks from the bottom.

God indeed never sleeps.