I cannot tell exactly how the fire started. I was asleep on the chair, exhausted from the work I had been doing. Balancing the bank accounts every day is a tedious job, and though it is not recommended and could attract sanctions I often found myself taking the book of records home to complete the work left off from the office. I suddenly woke up to find myself surrounded by flames, all escape seemed cut off. The fire was confined to my upstairs flat I later learned. All the electric cables it seems were burnt. I kept calling out “Jesus! Jesus!” even as flames and smoke surrounded me. I was picked up on the ground as a dead man, no evidence of life. Eyewitnesses say I jumped, but I have no recollection of that. Some thought to send me directly to the mortuary, but thank God one of them insisted on bringing me to the hospital. To their surprise signs of life came in me while there. "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you Isa 43:1, 2 (ESV).
I had had my usual evening telephone conversation with my wife and family. Since the location of my job meant we stay in different cities this was how I filled in until the weekend when I regularly went to be with them. In these years we have been separated by job God has kept me holy. In fact by His special grace no woman has ever set foot in the apartment I stay. For this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God's grace- 2Co 1:12(ISV). I had also established a prayer pattern in my flat. I regularly went into midnight prayers and carried on for quite a while. Every tenant knows this, and some join in. Some like my nearest neighbour who is a lawyer report that I disturb them. He promised to deal with me and had even reported me to the land lord.
My hospital stay was short; just these marks on my hands and legs that are left. Even the medical people were surprised. I did my best to hide the incident from my wife who was due to deliver at that time; I had to call her with different handsets each time as mine was consumed by fire. Amazingly the only item not burned was my Bible. The note inside it burnt, but not the Bible. But no trace of the bank book was found. The manager said “May your God deliver you”. No excuse can be accepted for its loss. I was not supposed to have brought it home in the first place. I cried unto my Lord, “You have saved me but my testimony will not be complete with this book’s loss!” A few days later my colleagues came back with the news: the book had been discovered intact among the ashes! My testimony was complete. The LORD is good. He protects those who trust him in times of trouble Nah 1:7(CEV).
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
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