How Involving God Helps Us

In January 2013 when Kenyans were preparing for their first general elections since the promulgation of a new constitution, I was one of the ambitious citizens who were intending to vie for a seat in the elections. I would get up on some mornings and commute to Nairobi to have myself cleared to run for the seat.

Perhaps because I didn't involve God in my activities back then, I found it hard to haul myself out of bed and go to Nairobi. It was like both my mind and my body weren't enthusiastic about the political race I was about to immerse myself in.

One day when I went to Nairobi, I met a lovely lady called Mrs. Rosaline Kasale at the offices of the electoral commission. Mrs. Kasale turned out to be the officer in charge of elections in my county where I was intending to vie for a political seat.

I had a delightful conversation with Mrs. Kasale that day. She shared her phone number with me and gave me a few forms to photocopy so that they would be enough for collecting 500 signatures, one of the requirements for being registered for the seat I had set my sights on.

Soon after Mrs. Kasale gave me the forms, I went to a shop in downtown Nairobi and asked the attendant to photocopy the forms. She did so and then handed them to me.

On receiving the forms, I took a stapler in the shop with the intention of using it to staple my forms together. Before doing so, the shop attendant notified me that the glass platform I was working on was fragile. She therefore requested me to staple my forms gently.

Although I listened to her, I seemed not to have understood her concern. I stapled the forms with one heavy blow - and bam! - the glass platform broke.

Angered, the shop attendant demanded that I pay KSh 700 for the broken glass. She asserted that she wouldn't allow me to leave the shop without settling the money. And she phoned someone to apprise him of the damage I had caused.

Luckily, I had enough money in my phone to cover the damage. I sent the money to her, picked my forms and left the shop.

Guess what! As I was commuting home, Mrs. Kasale called and informed me not to use the forms she had given me to photocopy. She asked me to instead pick original forms from a government office in my county. So there had been no need for me to go to the shop where I parted with KSh 700 for breaking a glass platform.

Looking back, I am thinking I parted with that money since I hadn't asked for divine blessings before leaving home for Nairobi on that unforgettable day I met Mrs. Kasale. Had I prayed, perhaps God would have ordered my steps in a way that would have kept me from going to the shop where I incurred unnecessary expenses.

But the experience taught me a lesson. Nowadays, I involve God in all that I do. Every night before I go to bed, I share my plans for the next day with Him. I have taken to heart the verse in the Bible that says, "Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed." (Proverbs 16:3)

So far, involving God in my activities has been bearing fruit, for He has been making my plans succeed, sometimes in ways better than I imagined. He has also granted me victory in some tough battles I have faced. What an amazing God He is!

My beloved reader, I implore you to also involve God in all that you do. When you face a challenge or are looking forward to an event, ask yourself, "Have I prayed about it as much as I have talked about it?" Repeatedly ask yourself that question till calling on God becomes second nature to you. Ciao!

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on how involving God helps us, you might also enjoy another one on "When Bad Things Happen" which I wrote a few years ago. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.