Joeboy (not the artiste) was 'vibing' to one of Davido’s newest songs. The song had captured his interest as he was listening to the radio. It appeared like he had a personal thing for "Unavailable." He sang this song loudly whenever he could and kept it on repeat for days. It was odd to hear Joeboy sing it because he was a strict Christian who would readily lecture you on the evils of secular music. He recently updated his age-old long Whatsapp status from "Go God's way - It's the only way" to "Unavailable, You No Go See Me." Undoubtedly, it raised a few eyebrows, but he swiftly disregarded them. He claimed he was looking for something fresh and novel.
Beyond his social media status, he desired a new way of life and direction. For several weeks, he and his creator had been engaged in a protracted "tussle." He was a preacher and a part-time missionary in addition to his corporate "9 to 5" job. He had spent some time walking closely with God and was aware of God's purposes for his life. He knew he would end up God’s way and be God’s man. He had sadly learned through the years that although God's commands aren't always straightforward, they ultimately hold true. He had severally heard God give him some instructions that he thought were absurd, but the more he tried to ignore them, the more strongly God compelled him to follow them.
Such an entanglement existed right now for him. Even though God had made it obvious that He wanted him to preach to a specific group of people in a far-off region, he still found the idea somewhat absurd and foolish. Consider for a moment what would happen if God sent you to a group of terrorists or bandits who have not repented. You would have to move since, as you are aware, seasoned criminals don't reside in cities or other populated places. You also cannot do it online because it is not a webinar. Naturally, you'd assume it's a silly notion that only the devil could have thought up. You might even spend days in prayer and fasting in opposition to such a satanic idea. Perhaps you're not so different from Joeboy after all. He was in a difficult situation. He was certain that this specific target group needed to hear the message of redemption, but he wasn't sure if they deserved God's mercy.
God saw these individuals as lost sheep, whereas he saw them as black sheep. Joeboy would be their shepherd, either voluntarily or by force. The irony of life is that people who have experienced God's mercy do not think that others are deserving of it. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why single mothers continue to be despised by society. Even those who experienced sexual abuse don't deserve sympathy. Joeboy didn't recognize that he was headed in the direction of becoming a lost sheep. It is a slippery slope. No one should condemn a sinner until God does. After all, it is only the blood of One that still saves.
Joeboy had just one job to do, and he was well aware of it. He had made numerous attempts to "persuade" God to alter His course of action, but to no avail. He had a better plan; he would abscond – AWOL. He sat down and made meticulous plans for getting away. He devoted countless hours to researching this plan's viability. You could assume that he was attempting to unseat the US president. He even had them in PowerPoint slides like one PWC Analyst. Baba wasn’t joking about running away from God. If God won't listen to him, then He should look at his Whatsapp status, which reads, "Unavailable, You No Go See Me." He would now go his own way and be his own man.
We all have specific assignments from God, even though we may not all be sent to remote regions or even speak to a specific target audience like Joeboy. Most of the time, it is not what we want to do, therefore we consider ways to “outsmart” God. We consider other pleasant options and bring them to God as if it were a discussion. We'll leave if God won't let us have our way, lol. It’s funny how we assume that God must always play by our own rules or we’ll call it quit. There’s a reason why He is the Creator of the universe after all. Relax and enjoy your life, if God wants you, He’ll get you, it doesn’t matter what your Whatsapp status says.
Article is culled from Jonah’s Story in the bible (Jonah 1-4).
Unavailable
By
Friday Okwori