Why
would God ever allow the righteous to suffer? How could the Almighty stand by
and watch the innocent maltreated and betrayed? What good could ever come from
injustice? Hard questions. Have you ever considered how God planned to save the
Philippian jailer and his entire household and so allowed Paul and Silas to be
brutally whipped and thrown into the inmost prison? It is hoped this true
account will provide some insight. It happened in 2006 in Enugu state CID.
I
just could not bear to see the old man put on detention that night with the
other builders. They had no fault of theirs; simply working as instructed when
they were wrongly accused and whisked off to the station. I had repeatedly called our lawyer to
intervene, and he requested I speak with wisdom to the police officer in charge.
But after so many hours it was clear he was unable to show up on time to bail
them, and now all were to pass the night in police detention. “Allow me to take the place of that man.”
I requested of the police officer. “Is
that so?” he responded; and put me in detention with one of the workers. To
my chagrin he also put the old man in detention too, only the cell he was put
in with others was less notorious. I still recall the officers - Seageants Jara
and Omeke.
In
my cell we were 23 persons crammed into a small space with a horrible stench. Our
entire toilet was in the same cell and we just had our singlets on top. One of the inmates forced me to my knees and
approached with a broom to whip me (a customary abuse in there) when boldness
loomed inside me and I cried out “Don’t
hit me I am a pastor!” Amazingly, and to my relief, he paused and inquired
why I was there. As part of the welcome a new inmate was required to pull
himself up towards the ceiling, call his girlfriend and remain in that position
indefinitely (until she came – something that was not going to be). My assigned
punishment that night was to pray until all were released from the cell. In the
morning I was mandated to handle morning devotion. Everyone there had to say
what brought him there, and the stories were nasty. Eighteen armed robbers, two
murderers, and one rapist. I was in a cell with violent criminal men. To the
glory of God during the devotion these hardened men were melted by God’s spirit
to tears and every single one of them made a commitment to Jesus. God had
answered the prayer: everyone was now free from a deeper dungeon of sin and
Satan. As far as you're
concerned, you were planning evil against me, but God intended it for good,
planning to bring about the present result so that many people would be
preserved alive Gen 50:20(ISV). I believe the
purpose of God in allowing all these to happen was to win these souls to Jesus.
What
became of those souls? Well the one who was detained along with me went to
theological school and is an ordained minister today. And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in
you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus Phil 1:6(GNB).
When
He allows you to suffer beloved there are sinful ones to save from hell.
Okochaeze is an Artist in Enugu
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