What do you know?
There is a small village by the road between Walewale and Gambaga in the North East Region with a surprisingly profound name.
One late evening, I was travelling on that road when the malaria I felt in the morning grew worse.
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When I arrived at the village with a profound name, I had no choice but to park and wait for a while to regain some energy to continue.
I was not far from Gambaga where the health centre personnel could attend to me, but the malaria wouldn’t let me move farther. Then I saw three men from the village approaching my car.
“Are you having problems?” One of them asked.
I surely was and said so.
“Is there anything we can do?” The man asked. There was nothing they could do, but I asked, “What is the name of this village?”
“Naaminyala,” came the response – which, in Mampruli, means, “The king knows about me”.
I smiled despite the condition I was in. The king knows about me? What king?
Then the still small voice of the Lord dropped the truth in my heart: The King of kings knows about you.
God knew about me and the condition I was in. He knew I needed help, and he knew how to help me gain energy for the rest of the journey.
The timely reminder rejuvenated and encouraged me to press on to Gambaga where the staff of the clinic attended to me.
God knows
No matter our situation and the challenges facing us, God knows all about us.
When I was reflecting on this incident later, a new thought came to me. Why did the name of the village attract my attention and why did I connect it with God the King, thereby deriving inspiration from it?
I believe it was because of what I know about the King of kings. If I didn’t know God as the great King, I would have assumed that the king being referred to at Naaminyala was the chief of the village, and that information could not address my condition.
Therefore, what we know about whom we know has the power to strengthen us when the going gets tough.
When the going got tough for the prodigal son in his waywardness, his knowledge of his father helped him to come to his senses.
He knew his father to be wealthy and magnanimous; therefore, surely, his father would welcome him, which he did.
What do I know about the King who knows about me? He is my Lord and my God. At Naaminyala, I recalled his promise: “Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will
help you; I will strengthen you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
What we know
Indeed, what we know can encourage us, convict us, and empower us. No wonder people perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).
Paul was in jail and in chains, but he was not ashamed of his situation. He strengthened himself by saying, “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day” (2 Timothy 1:12).
The apostle knew that God could help him accomplish his goal. His hard work would not be in vain because God, his King, would protect what he had entrusted to him.
“I know whom I have believed” should be every believer’s confident statement that raises our hope when we are facing trials and suffering.
David knew God as his shepherd, shield, strength, refuge, light, and his salvation. No wonder, he could do great exploits for his King.
To be uncertain about our eternal destiny is the most dangerous of all uncertainties. Those who are not sure where they are going have probably missed the way.
Eternal destiny
To help us to be certain about our eternal destiny, John wrote, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). Knowing we have eternal life helps us to travel through this world with confidence.
Job suffered a great deal of ill-health, bereavement, wealth loss, and severe pain. His famous statement reveals how he endured the torments: “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth” (Job 19:25).
It is amazing how what we know can affect our psyche and attitude to endure life’s challenges.
To Joshua and Caleb, the God they knew was able to help them conquer the promised land. The other spies did not know the greatness of the God of Israel, hence they felt like grasshoppers before the giants they saw on the land.
The greater the God we know, the lesser the problems we face. The Lord our King knows about us; how do we know him?
The writer is a publisher, author, writer-trainer and CEO of Step Publishers.
E-mail: [email protected]