After my first year of university, I got a scholarship in a study abroad program to do my second year in Sweden and pay just 10% of my tuition, it came with accommodation and a monthly bursary too.

It was a beautiful opportunity. It also came right after my dad had suffered a stroke and a lot of our family finance had gone to his health. I felt like God had brought this to make things easier for us and also just a message to say “I’m with you through it all”.

I informed my parents when the scholarship went through and I received my letter. They were just as ecstatic. I had a few documentations to get through and submit which involved some signatures from my parents as I was still under 18.

We went through all the processes and two months to travel I had a deep uneasiness settle in my heart. It was overwhelming, I was sleeping and waking up to it. This is one of the major reasons why we teach that peace is definitely one of the signs of Gods approval on a matter. It isn’t the only sign, but it’s definitely a powerful one, the bible says that ‘the blessings of God make rich and add no sorrow’.

When God gives something, this verse must be tried and tested with it.

I took some time off and retreated for a few days to put some meaning to this feeling and God clearly told me, in my heart and through a dream not to go to Sweden.

As soon as I discerned it and settled it in my heart, peace returned like a river. The challenge was now informing those involved in the process including my parents and personal tutor who had all received it as the best thing for me right now.

I knew it would hurt, but there was no going back, God had spoken. So I prayed and called my parents a few days later and explained to them that while everything looks God and good, God had told me not to go. The second evidence I had that this was God was that my parents made no fuss about it. Thank God for godly parents.

My mum said whatever God had told me to do, I should do and so I reached out to the academic bodies and informed them of my decision to stop the process. I doubt it made sense to anyone, but it did to me because God had spoken to me.

I was in the car a few days ago with my sister and we saw a bill board introducing another church starting in Abuja.

I’m all for the spread of the gospel and church planting but the human in me that afternoon spoke about how all the churches were coming to Abuja to open a branch and rather than go to rural areas, they were all planting in the urban city areas.

My sister then asked me what I thought about it and I said plainly to her that “only these people know what God has told them”, the rest of us just see the actions after the word must have come, whether or not any word came, I don’t know.

But it reminded me of my own time when God spoke to me and it didn’t make sense to others around but I still went on as I had been instructed.

Unfortunately we won’t have the privilege of getting explanation for everything we see and encounter but it’s important to remember that God speaks to people in their personal alters and sometimes, the speaking won’t make sense to all of us.

In times as such, when we don’t have the explanation, logic might attempt to step in and create explanations for the person or event involved and before you realise, you err in ignorance speaking about what you don’t have full details about.

Gamaliel advised some people in the bible who wanted to arrest Jesus disciples that they should leave them because if what they are doing is not of God, it will fail, so they should just subject it to time and see what happens because it had happened previously in the past (Acts 5:34-39).

This isn’t to say “wait to see people’s doom”, but it is wisdom to refrain from speaking about or against what you don’t have details about, and God hasn’t given you insight on.

Human nature and society will convince us that we have the right to speak as we like but the Holy Spirit will teach us to tame our mouth, thoughts and opinions especially on things as delicate as spiritual realities.

The voice of reason is not always the voice of the Spirit and so we must get closer after reason and logic has come and hear what The Spirit says.

I never went to Sweden and in the events that happened in my second year that should’ve been in Sweden, I saw squarely why God wanted me where He took me and I imagine how much I could’ve missed if I insisted on being in Sweden.