In the midst of the commentary, comments and all the unsolicited opinions of our nation in its current stage as well as state of our Nation reminds me of the Nation of Israel in the wilderness when they began to complain to and about Moses’ leadership.

Exodus 16:1-3 (NKJV)

1 And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. 2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

We claim we didn’t have a dwindling exchange rate, fuel crises, economic challenges, unemployment and our education and health systems in trouble and the obvious power sector problems not only in the time of the previous administration but these things have been heading downwards in a long time!

In “The Danger of Grumbling By Doug Hamilton” he makes an excellent case to break us out of this very dangerous pathway we have chosen to follow in the country Nigeria especially those of us who claim to be Christians. See link below:

Click to access the-dangers-of-grumbling.pdf

Doug starts by saying “Whenever the people of God are about to make great strides forward, there is the risk of the catastrophe of grumbling. Israel was no different.” Using many scriptural examples and comments he establishes that “Their grumbling was so bad that that generation of grumblers were not going to be permitted to come into the Promised Land. Israel was a people on the move for God and headed toward the Promised Land. They had great prospects, but was side-tracked by their constant grumbling. Numbers 14:23 They “ …shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.” 

Are we in danger of doing this after so many lost opportunities as a nation or could we do a much needed paradigm shift and look at the pains we are going through as birth pains in the road to success and fulfillment as a nation

Derek Prince in his book “Shaping History through Fasting and Prayer” gives one the best illustrations and description of the power of prayer in the birth and rebirth of the nations. I developed the story of Kenya Birth Pain in a presentation whose link is found here: 

https://www.slideshare.net/Madojemu/kenyas-birth-pangs?

Isaiah 66:8-13 (NKJV)

8 Who has heard such a thing?

Who has seen such things?

Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day?

Or shall a nation be born at once?

For as soon as Zion was in labor,

She gave birth to her children.

9 Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the Lord.

“Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.

10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem,

And be glad with her, all you who love her;

Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her;

11 That you may feed and be satisfied

With the consolation of her bosom,

That you may drink deeply and be delighted

With the abundance of her glory.”

12 For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,

And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.

Then you shall feed;

On her sides shall you be carried,

And be dandled on her knees.

13 As one whom his mother comforts,

So I will comfort you;

And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”

This is a powerful commitment of God to rebirthing the nation of Israel and because of us, His righteous ones, by extension our nation Nigeria. We have got to believe God does not start what He has not finished so much that the apostle Paul amplifies this principle in Galatians 4:19 (NKJV) 19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,

Showing that God is interested in not just the birth but the maturity of the fruit of the birth. Notice however we are partners with Him, as soon as Zion travailed & my Little children whom I travail in birth again. Indicating that Paul had travailed in birth to bring them forth in the first place and now was praying for them to be birthed into the maturity of Christ. It’s a birthing process with God.

To apply this to our nation, we must recognize that women go through painful processes to have children not just at childbirth but through the process from cravings to throwing up as well as swollen ankles plus all sorts of discomfort, fatigue and stretching but not once would you hear a pregnant woman cry out to God to remove the child for the pain!

The woman’s fruitfulness is her deliverance, the child, the fruit of the womb is God’s reward and hers. Realizing this must help us understand that in change there cán be pain howbeit during the period of pregnancy but we must not focus on the pain but the fruit to come. Our nation needs to succeed this time out of this pain we are currently experiencing.

Like in natural childbirth there can still be abortions, miscarriages, stillbirth, difficult deliveries that result in death of the mother or child, sometimes both, as well a children born with deficiencies as well as mothers suffering through the process of childbirth and not recovering from it for life.

This is where midwives, spiritual and otherwise are critical or crucial to ensure we come out on top. These are interecessor psalm who don’t only pray but publish and say the right thing concerning this nation and do not join the crowd in grumbling about going back to Egypt.

Psalms 107:2 (NKJV)

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

God warned us that;

Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV)

21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Remember God decided to do what Israel said in the wilderness not just what they said in prayer, we assume the only time God listens to us is when we pray and this has given us a sense of false security which leads to careless talk and commentary even concerning our lives.

Numbers 14:26-38 (NKJV)

Death Sentence on the Rebels

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: 29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. 31 But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. 32 But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. 35 I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.’ ”36 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, 37 those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the Lord. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.

Now it’s time to not just join in praying for our nation and birthing God’s purpose but saying the right things it’s time to dig deep and believe for the best in this nation after so many false starts knowing and believing this time we would get it right. This I believe and I say so! 

Matthew 24:8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. For what? I hear you say, what else? The Kingdom of God here in our nation and men coming into the knowledge of the truth! Simply because we would be leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Full of the joy of the Lord

John 16:21

A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.”


Francis E. Madojemu