Àṣeyọrí (Success) — An African play
Photo source: African Digital Christian Communication
(A female figure is seen huddled in a corner. Soft sobs can be heard as she prays fervently)
Adéọlá: (Praying, tears streaming down her face. She is crying her heart out to God) Help me, Father, I don’t want to fail again. Give me the wisdom and strength to excel in my academics. I’m going to study harder this time. I’ll take the tutorials serious. Please help me.
(Adéọlá continues crying. She had failed an important course last semester and will have to repeat it in the next session. As she prays, her mother walks in).
Màmá Adéọlá: (Walks up to her and pats her back gently) My dear, it is enough. Look at how long you have been praying. God has heard you. At least come and eat so you can regain some strength.
(Adéọlá continues praying without looking up and begins to sob even louder. You could see the pain evident on her mother’s face as she draws her daughter close to comfort her.)
Màmá Adéọlá: (praying within herself) Lord please help me a child to be successful in her academics, jọ̀wọ́, J’ẹ́ kí ọmọ mi ṣ’àṣeyọ́rí.
Two semesters later, after a series of consistent personal studies, tutorials, prayers, and hard work, Adéọlá’s results are out.
(It is Saturday and as usual, Bàbá Adéọlá has gone to work at Ìsọ̀ Pákó, Màmá Adéọlá is making some doughnuts to supply the neighbouring shops. Adéọlá is sitting on an old worn-out two-sitter chair in the sitting room browsing through her Itel P33 Plus. She receives a message and after reading for a while jumps up suddenly)
Adéọlá: (Shouting excitedly, her face is lit like a neon sign on a dark street corner) Mummy! Mummy! Jesus has done it again o!
Màmá Adéọlá: (Walking hurriedly to meet her. They'd just converted to Christianity some months ago after God miraculously saved her husband from a terrible motor accident. Things have been difficult but by God's grace, they'd done everything through Christ to keep their faith).
What has happened again?
(Adéọlá began dancing and singing ‘Ebube, thank you, Jesus,’ you would have thought she received a visa to Canada)
Eh, tell me now. Óda náà (Joins Adéọlá, and they began to sing praises to God and dance. Anyone watching them would be stunned by the skilled precision of Màmá Adéọlá's acrobatic dance steps. It would give Solid, the ajóbàtá, a run for his money)
(They’d been dancing and singing for a while and didn’t notice the front door open as Bàbá Adéọlá entered the room and parlour they lived in. Unknown to them, he’d been hearing their songs of thanksgiving from a distance. He drops his polythene bag on a wooden crooked chair, held the lower end of his bùbá with his fingertips and began to undulate his waist in the classical Yòrùbá dance fashion. What better way to end a stressful day at Ìsọ̀ pákó than to rejoice in some good news at home.
Suddenly the trio were jolted out of their joyous celebration as Bàbá Adéọlá bumped into his wife)
Adéọlá: (Shouts excitedly, joy written all over her face) Daddy, I had an A in all my courses this semester, and I had a B in the GEG I failed the last session.
Bàbá and Màmá Adéọlá: (Hands raised in reverence) Praise God!
Adéọlá: Hallelujah! (They looked at one another and burst into laughter. Jesus truly did it again)
You can have joy in your family too. You can rejoice over something that was once seemed impossible to do. You can receive comfort from God through Jesus Christ. You can have peace over everything troubling your heart. Yes, you can be at peace. And it all starts with accepting the salvation God has planned for you and your family, Matthew 6:33.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
God loves you and has sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins. This same Jesus rose from the dead on the third day by the power of God — Acts 2:32,33 ascended to heaven, Acts 1:9–11, and is coming back to take those who believe in Him and who are faithful to God, John 14:2–3.
He was sent to suffer shame and condemnation from His own people so that you can be honoured and accepted by God. He is the way to everlasting life, and only Him has the power to save you from sin — pride, lying, wickedness, defamation, formication, covetousness, stealing, cheating in tests and exams, and many other things that leads those who do them to eternal destruction in hell — Proverbs 6:16–19, Galatians 5:19–21.
Please do not delay your salvation.
To be saved, please believe and say the words below,
“Dear Lord, I thank you for Your word. I confess that Jesus is Lord, and I believe that You raised Him from the dead. Thank you because I’m saved according to Your word. Please give me more grace and strength to always overcome temptations to sin. Amen.” Romans 10:9–10.
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