The song writer wrote ‘I have learned to cast my cares on Jesus, nothing seems to work for me when I lay all my trust in man’
Anonymous
He had come knocking violently at the wooden door, eyes shot with anger and boiling rage, chewing the ‘pako’ and spitting it out of his mouth seems like a herculean task to the staring young folks. They wouldn’t understand, he was a man dressed in a short pant exposing his hairy legs and then the singlet he had on was in between the golden white and dirty brown. He wasn’t crazy, he was just in a hurry.
“Pastor” he shouted knocking hard
Dead silence
Gba, Gba, Gba
“Anyone at home, I need to see the pastor” he screamed
Passerby in a group of twos whispered among themselves as they passed by; some giggled and others could barely contain their laughter at his dressing.
Panasa looked at them, he couldn’t blame them; if they had known what chased him out of his house this morning, they would keep whatever goes on in their mind making them gesticulate to themselves.
“Hah, is pastor around?” Panasa threw the question to a young girl who was on her way to school, she was neatly dressed but had a gloomy face.
“Which pastor?”
“The pastor, the only pastor in the village” he replied, was there anyone who never knew Pastor Danaba?
“I don’t know any pastor and besides no one lives here” the young girl adjusted her backpack as she walked away leaving him confused.
“Come… Please… Come back”
“Ehew, what do you mean there is no pastor? He said he stays here” Panasa was getting agitated
“There is no Pastor, you can ask anyone. No one lives in this apartment except my mother and I. The other house has been abandoned for months”
“That’s not true, haha, that’s a lie. I saw Danaba enter this house two weeks ago” he threw the pako stick away wiping clean his mouth with the back of his hand.
How could the young girl tell him there was no pastor living in the house? He would ask another girl, perhaps the girl was playing tricks with him or she was just a newbie in the neighborhood.
“Ermmm… Thank you, I will ask another person”
“Suit yourself, I told you the truth. There is no pastor” she replied walking away.
No pastor. Tufiaka. He saw Danaba two weeks ago, how would there be no pastor in the neighborhood? Someone as famous as Danaba. He refuses to believe it. He was going to confirm with his eyes. Panasa stepped into the apartment, the young girl was right to an extent, there were only two rooms in the house, typically a face-me-I-face-you house.
“What do you seek for?” a woman who he guessed must be the girl’s mother asked
“Thank goodness” he whispered to himself
“I am looking for Pastor Danaba”
“Danaba?” the woman repeated trying to recollect
“You think he lives here,” she asked
“Not that I think, I know he lives here. I saw him walk in here two weeks ago”
“Well, the name Danaba is new in this household, never heard of such”
“Haha, no oo… Okay, let’s do this; who stays in this house? The other room?”
“That one?” she pointed
“Yes”
“The person died two weeks ago”
“Died? A man or a woman?”
“A woman”
“Is the person you seek for a woman?”
“No”
“Then, I am sorry to disappoint, there is no Pastor Danaba living here”
“Ewo, Ewo… I am doomed” Panasa exclaimed, hands on the head
“I hope all is well?”
“Hah, I don’t know,” he said pacing round
“Abi, you have been duped? Because there is a tale going around the neighborhood about a man who extorts money from the villagers in exchange for something. He has many names”
“Chimo, And I was warned ooo… my wife told me not to trust him” he sobbed
“What happened? What did you seek from the man?”
“Hmmm… I was having incessant dreams about being chased in my dream, people around said it was a sign that I will soon die, on a cool afternoon I was walking down the road to a neighboring town when I met this man who prophesied that I would not die if I did so and so. I was so desperate that I sold all I had to meet his demand, I didn’t want to die”
“Eyah, what brings you to the house then?”
“He told me to come two weeks after to collect my portion to wade off the bad dream, I had to come running because he gave me a time frame I mustn’t fail to meet and now…”
“You still have that dream?” the woman questioned bringing out a stool for her to sit on.
“Yes”
Panasa swallowed hard as he trudged towards the gate, death looms over his head and there was nothing he could do. He wasn’t unhappy that he was duped, he was sad that what killed his father was going to kill him in days. He was tired of running helter-shelter seeking a solution where there was none.
“Mr, to who do you want to go to again?”
“To death, I am tired of spending all seeking for help that doesn’t last” he sounded dejected. The woman stood up, walked towards him and spoke: “What if I lead you to Jesus?”
And the futility of man’s effort is just like a vapor that vanishes so quickly with the wind. A man may try to save himself, but only Jesus gives a lasting solution.
Begin 2020 with this amazing book HERE.
Dear readers, we begin this year with a sharp and urgent reminder that our effort in saving ourselves is nothing except God intervenes, a man may try to seek for peace where there is none, only Jesus balances the equation.
Jesus offers the,
Final Solution,
Full Solution,
Fresh Solution.
If you chase Jesus as much as the things you think you love; you will end up with more than you bargained for
This year on this blog, we are going to glorify Jesus with everything we do, we are going to live lives that exemplify Jesus. We are not ashamed of the gospel, no-no, because the gospel is what makes us who we are. Without it, I believe we are like Panasa in the story. Only Jesus brings calmness to every stormy sea. Why don’t you invite him?
