The Highlander

The storm came suddenly 
It rode upon the wings of the night 
Like a tiger, it stalked its prey until 
it was sure of its kill 
It pounced just as the sun was 
going down 
Like a bear cub cornered by a lion 
It's victim screamed with all its 
power "Help me" 
The phone call came in the evening, 
around 6:30 pm 
The phone number was that of a 
pastor but the voice was that of the 
pastor's wife 
The pastor was like a father to him 
When he was still a cub minister, 
the pastor took him under his wings 
and groomed him in the things of 
the spirit 
The pastor was not too educated in 
worldly terms, he could barely read 
and write but he had the kind of 
relationship with the Holy Spirit that 
would part the red sea without blinking 
He met the pastor in 2008 amid a 
heavy storm 
He was fighting depression and 
contemplating suicide as a result
of many of his decisions and actions 
that threw him into great peril 
He lost everything that year 
It was supposed to be the year he 
finally crossed a long-awaited milestone 
but while he had crossed the finished 
line and was waiting for his prize, 
his joy was turned to sorrow!
Nobody could console him 
His mother knew the psychological 
implication of her son locking himself 
up in a room for several days without 
food and water but with groaning and 
sighs of pain and agony 
His mother reached out to this pastor 
The pastor was supporting his ministry 
with sale and supply of stationaries and 
his mother had a shop along Orogun road
Ibadan
The pastor came asking his mother to 
give him a small space for a little kiosk 
in front of her shop to display his notebooks, 
his mother did and it turned out it was a 
redo of the Widow and Elijah's story
His mother told the pastor the plight of 
her son 
The pastor came to their house on a 
Monday morning and spoke kindly to him 
The pastor said "I used to be a persecutor 
of the Church because I belonged to 
another religion, I met the Holy Spirit 
and my life changed. I was told you
are already a born again Christian but you 
made some decisions in the flesh which 
backfired,I was told you would neither

eat nor drink out of deep sorrow 
I understand you are about to lose 
something precious, something you have 
worked for tirelessly for many years. 
I will make you a deal 
Come with me to my church at Ologuneru, 
its a village shack 
God made me a promise that all those 
who step into that strip of a shack to 
seek for help shall get it miraculously. 
I assure you, that no matter how deep 
the hole you dug, you shall come out 
of it in Jesus name
It didn't make any sense 
What does a non-literate pastor know 
about losing a degree you have worked 
for so hard? Does he even understand 
what was at stake? 
His own church reverend had told him 
to go back to school and beg and cry and 
plead for leniency 
His crime was that great
It wasn't something a phone call or 
friendly handshake could wash away 
He had lost all goodwill! 
But he was desperate and he took 
the bone 
He went to Ologuneru with the pastor 
and prayed in that strip of a shack 
He spent three days sleeping on a bench 
and sweeping the dusty floor
After three days, the pastor told him 
"It is done" 
On the day of the University's convocation, 
he wore his convocation gown and went 
off to the school with his brother 
He was scared he was going to be 
arrested and thrown into jail but the 
pastor had told him to go and stand firm
on the sure word of prophecy 
He got no accolades, no gifts 
A few friends came around to say hello 
He took pictures 
Everybody had questions he wasn't 
prepared to answer 
He spent two hours on campus and left 
His brother berated him for being 
scared
In truth, every minute he spent on the 
campus ground was sheer hell 
He was afraid some security people 
would come and arrest him and haul him 
off to jail 
He had been told when he faced the 
school's disciplinary committee that 
he was never to step a foot on that 
school ground uninvited 
His fingerprints were taken for good 
measure and a valid threat of facing 
the full wrath of the law was drummed 
into his ears 
He was barely breathing while wearing 
the convocation gown 
A school where he once preached Christ 
and saw many led to His salvation had 
turned into a desert for him due to his 
foolishness
It was like a spear was thrust deep 
into his heart 
He got home without any mishap and felt 
"I have done what the pastor said, I 
went to the school and wore my 
convocation gown! 
What will God do to help me now?" 
The next day, God did the most 
unexpected miracle for him 
A mailman darkened their doorstep 
with a mail from the school 
As a matter of school policy, the 
transcript of each student was sent 
home to parents/guardians so that the 
sponsors can know how their children 
or wards were faring academically
The school implemented the policy as a
result of the complaint of several sponsors 
whose children/wards were advised to 
withdraw on academic grounds claiming 
they were never aware their children/wards 
were doing poorly due to lack of 
communication 
They had never sent his results home 
before then, not once!
The transcript was a lifesaver 
It stood in the place of a certificate 
as he went searching for a job
Employers seeing his sea of A's seemed 
more impressed than seeing just a 
paper saying "Graduated with 
first-class honours 
It was a life-saving miracle 
God responded to his faith
That pastor became his mentor thereafter 
He had seen a man who really knew God 
and wanted to learn from him 
When he moved to Lagos, he would 
accommodate that pastor in his house 
and discuss the wonders of the 
Holy Spirit with him 
It was the same pastor whose wife's
shaky voice called him just as the sun 
was going down 
The pastor's wife said he suddenly 
slumped, was rushed to the hospital 
and had been diagnosed with stroke 
They were in a mission field when it 
happened and the doctors were claiming 
there was a growth close to the pastor's 
spine and it needed surgery
The pastor's church (He was not the founder) 
had raised some funds and so had 
other well-wishers 
They needed more to fly the pastor to India 
for surgery, that was what the pastor 
recommended 
Had they been in the country, he would 
have jumped into his car and driven all 
day to see the family and pray for healing 
but they were out of the country and 
needed help 
He told the pastor's wife to give him 
some time to raise the fund 
Such a man of God must never ever be 
allowed to suffer 
That was the storm 
All he had in the ministry account was 
1.3 million Naira and that was saved up 
over a long period of time 
He decided it had to go 
He decided to sell his car too 
He really didn't need it due to the lockdown 
and he was sure God would provide 
another one when needed 
(The Bible says he would not allow 
His Holy one to suffer decay) 
He called a man who had shown 
some interest in his car 
They discussed price and agreed on 
Nine hundred thousand thousand Naira 
making 2.2 million Naira
He just bought his wife a car, 
(That was a no go area) because she 
needed it for work
He decided to reach out to a few
trusted friends for help
He was going to beg for a loan that he
could repay in six months
A loan of 2 million Naira
The Pastor's wife told him the needed
between 4 million Naira and 4.5 Million
Naira
The first person he reached out to
sent him the money (A loan he would
payback monthly for 6 months)
He reached to another friend for some
counsel and support
The friend responded "Let the Lord do
as we ask"
He realized at that moment that he had
swung into fundraising mode since he
heard the news
He had not prayed
He began to pray in the spirit seeking
direction
Suddenly he felt this ill wind
Like the pastor's time was up and
he would die
He staggered and cried "Lord No"
He prayed on and on until he slept
off around 1AM
When it was 2:50 AM, the pastor's
wife called again
She said "Thank you, Brother Sam,
but I regret to tell you that Daddy
is gone"
Daddy is gone?
He got on his feet and started to
pray
Daddy is just 57 years old, Daddy is
anointed and full of the Holy Spirit
Daddy waited 13 years after his marriage
to give birth to his first set of twins
He had three sets and they were all
still quite young
Daddy cannot die!
Sleep faded away, he prayed all night
He decided he would ignore the news
and proceed as planned with the
money
The next morning, he went to the bank
He noticed he had much more than
he thought
He sent the pastor's wife the fund
Once he was done, he called the pastor's
wife
He said "Go and tell Pastor that I have
done as he asked of me"
She said "He is here with me! 
He started breathing again like
6 AM this morning
I dont even know what to make
of it, i just heard a faint sharp breath
and he moved his hands
The doctors have attended to him
He is sleeping now but i will tell him
what you said"
As he was walking out of the bank
The Holy Spirit said "You conducted
yourself as a son should, I love you"
WOW!
His phone rang
It was the man that wanted to buy
his car
The man said he had arrived at his house with
mechanics to inspect the car
He told the man to wait for him
He needed to put some money back
in the ministry account
He had drained everything
The car has to go
As he drove home, another car drove
slowly after him
It was a new car, one without a plate
number
He got to the road leading to his house
The man and two mechanics were
standing by the road
He parked and greeted them
The new car parked too, right behind
him
He alighted from his car
The new car's door opened and out
came a familiar face
They laughed and hugged
The familiar face said "Bother Gbenga,
the Holy Spirit said he promised you
a car, I came here to deliver it"
What!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He just stood still
The man who came to buy his car had
heard the conversation too
He said "Oh! Congratulations sir"
It was all too much for one day!
The night brought a storm, but the
morning brought joy on every side!

PS: These events happened between
20th and 21st July 2020
The pastor is fine and recovering 
quickly
It has even been suggested that he
might not need the surgery anymore
because the new scan showed the
growth close to the spinal cord had
melted
His limbs were reacting perfectly to
stimuli and they might have to engage
the services of a physiotherapist
but the general prognosis was very
positive

GSW's Note: There had been several 
testimonies in July 2020
A friend urged me to share them but
I delayed
I told that friend that as big as the 
ones we were screaming about were
i felt there was a bigger one to come.
I am always reluctant to share 
testimonies about material things
but when they are birthed by the
Holy Ghost, they must be expressly
shared to the glory of God and to
encourage the saints
Always remember, "The sun shall
not smite you by day nor the moon
by night"