Undertakers open my mother’s coffin, everyone screamed in misery. But I was happy, seeing that finally, my mother could rest in perfect peace — and not stay up all night waiting for my father to come back from the beer parlour, with him smelling like different women and cigar.

While everyone wailed and cried, “Sarah, why did you leave us!” I stood there, rigid, and unsure how to react.

Do I commend the doctors for ensuring that she had her hand on her tummy like when she took pictures; that her golden dreadlocks rested on her shoulders, or that she wore a wedding gown?

It was symbolic anyway. The day she wore that dress, when she walked down that aisle, was the beginning of her death.

The priest gave a breezy sermon, my mind fazed through reality, ignoring sweaty bodies and sniffing noses. Focusing more on the scorching sun, and the buzzing flies.

I felt my crotch itch, I couldn’t scratch it.

Her coffin was closed, finally, I said my last goodbye with a glance at her face.

Her golden locks never looked so bright.

We must have dampened her shine.

Dust to dust. Take the shovel and sprinkle her cross. Thirteen years ago, I threw sand on my mother’s body when we went to the beach. She laughed. Wondered why she wasn’t smiling this time.

“Kess, you have to cry.” My uncle said, whispering into my ear. I hated anyone touching me. I hated people coming that close.

We left the burial site immediately after the last shovel of sand went in. The longest trip of my life, I wondered if we could roll the credits already.

That this was a movie, and I was the star actor, and this was the first part of my series, leading my character development to the part where I would awaken Hades to give a life to get back the life of my mother.

“Kess, do you want to eat?”

Even the fan knew it lost its buyer today. Placed on number 5 but it still slowed down.

“No, I’m not hungry,” I said to the person that came to check up on me. I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Wanted to get out of the house but it was filled with people my mother didn’t like, saying nice things they didn’t mean, bringing food we didn’t need.

Going would mean pity faces, irritating touches, and automated “Take heart dears.”

So I laid on my bed, avoiding the world.

“I made Beans, you sure you don’t want to eat some, Baba?”

“No, thanks, I’m really okay.”

Turned to the other side of the bed.

“You didn’t cry today, why was that?”

I heard the sound of the door closing. This person must be a distant relative or family friend that didn’t know me personally. Because if she did, she would have known that I hated my doors closed.

Probably was sent by my dad to talk to me. Wrong move.

“Kess? Are you already sleeping?”

“I don’t have the power to talk.” I said, still lying on my side, with my back facing the person and the door.

“But you just said seven words.”

So practical.

“I did, but there were necessary.”

“So does what I want to know.”

“Please. I don’t want to go on a rampage. Can you leave my room?”

“Oh, but you do deserve to go on a rampage, Baba, just spill it all on me.”

I turned to face this person.

Some nerve she must have to talk to me like she knew about what I felt or who my mother was.

My body froze on the spot, I couldn’t decode what was happening.

Nobody was there.

“Baba, you should cry.”

“W-who are you?” I stuttered.

Probably the last person I thought would talk to me.

“Mom?”

“Yes Baba.” for some reason, I was relaxed. I sat back on my bed and took my former position, staring at the ceiling.

“Why mom, why did you die?”

Silence.

Then.

“I have a present for you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s Outside. I want to see you one last time.”

Quickly, I got out of bed and started for the door.

“Wait!” she said.

“Go to the window.”

I went over the window, opened it completely, and stared five storeys down.

“Why, mom?”

“You know I love you, right, Baba?”

“Yes, I do.”

“So, I want you to go outside through this window. To see me.”

There was an exciting heat in my chest. To think that the way to see my mom has been staring at me all these while.

I quickly went to the second room, where my little brother, Jamal, laid asleep. I picked him up and ran back to my room.

“JamJam, we are going to see mommy.”

I whispered in his ear.

I struggled to get out of the window through a slip. Jamal and I, floating through the air. Could feel the wind again my body, carrying me and my little brother, to meet our lovely mother.

Suddenly, the journey ended. Did the gate not open? The screams were deafening. Where were they coming from?

I could hear someone say, “Blood of Jesus!”

Where was it?

I brought my hands to my line of vision and found my fingers broken. With blood painted on them.

The pain sneaked through my spine, entered my brain, and shut down all my systems. My eyes died out. The last sense left was my ears, I heard running and crying and echoes before they stopped working.

Blank.

Then.

Light.

My mother’s face. Smiling with her eyes closed. Hands opened wide.

“Baba.” she said.

“Mom.”

She opened her eyes, black and red.

Blood ran from her eyes, down her cheeks, and stained her white robe.

It started to spread till everything turned to red.

Two horns shot out of her head.

Her teeth shot out fangs.

“Welcome, to Hades.”

Many people think that Christianity is all about escaping hell. The purpose of God in redemption was not to produce escapees from hell, it was to produce lovers of Jesus Christ; a people who have seen Jesus

Christ as the pearl of great price and give up all else to have him. God is seeking lovers of Jesus Christ, not escapees from hell. God’s purpose was to produce a people who seek Him, know Him, love Him and serve Him as the overflow of their love for Him. God is seeking lovers of Christ, worshippers of Christ, devotees of Christ, people totally caught up with the person of Christ

Zacharias Tanee Fomum

This is a Cameroonian saint gone to be with the Lord, that God used and still uses to train others in what it means to learn Christ of whom it is testified that when he came to a church here in the southwest to preach Jesus a few decades ago, everyone in the meeting broke down in tears and wept, some rolling on the floor; with the pastor himself taking trips to the restroom not to use it for anything other than to weep freely before returning to the meeting.

And what was the theme and constant question of the message?

“DO YOU LOVE JESUS?”

The truth is that you may jump and shout when Christ is preached and run around as well. That is great because there is a height and a length and a breadth to the dimension of God’s love expressed in Him

But if you have never been transfixed on your seat for hours by this love, in deep silence of soul, or fallen off that seat in deep contemplation and poignant near-anguish for a life unworthy of this love

That message of love you have been listening to,

Is lacking in DEPTH.

Ebele UzoPeters

The idea of praying through the night can seem daunting to some people.

It makes sense.

The world is dark, everything is closed, and most people are sleeping—except for the few night owls who should have been sleeping hours ago messaging you about not being able to sleep or work they’re doing.

Just the mention of praying in the overnight hours garners various responses, many of which are laced with disbelief, traces of shock, and often are accompanied with confused expression.

“Oh, I could never do that.”

“I can’t stay up that late.”

“I worked nights once—it was horrible.”

It’s understandable. Even the disciples had trouble staying awake to pray.

And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:37–41)

A key component of night-and-day prayer is prayer that continues throughout the night hours. However, ever more significant than the time of day prayer is taking place is the reason why prayer is taking place and what it will yield. As we continue to bring our petitions before His throne, our generous Father reveals His desire to partner with us and bring about His goodness and answers to injustice in our present day. The act of praying at night is also a principle referred to in Luke 18, primarily linked to the Lord’s corrective response to injustice.

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”

Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1–8)

Although praying at night is a key component of night-and-day prayer, it really is less about when prayer is happening and more about what is taking place and why.

As prayer continues, we get to enter the reality of the Lord’s Prayer, seeing God’s will being done and His Kingdom coming, advancing, on the earth (Matthew 6:10).

This is what Jesus displayed, not just with His outward actions before men, but His times alone in prayer. Prayer during the night hours is noted throughout Scripture.

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12)

At midnight I shall rise to give thanks to You Because of Your righteous ordinances.(Psalm 119:62)

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. (Acts 16:25)

Although praying at night may sound like it would be a challenge—and sometimes can be—there are simple steps to help make it easier to stay awake and alert throughout the night.

Take Care of Your Body

Although we often think of prayer as an activity connected to the spiritual part of our being, what’s happening with our bodies can also have an affect on our times of prayer and what we think about these hours we invest in praying at night. Consider these three points and apply them to the idea of praying during the night.

1. Get Enough Sleep
This may seem counterintuitive, but contrary to popular belief, successfully praying through the night actually requires sleep. This is not an exercise in denying yourself rest, but in the discipline of self control as you modify your schedule to sleep at specified times so you’re better able to stay awake and pray throughout the night. If your time of praying at night is extended for a season and requires a complete schedule change, then getting the right amount of sleep for your body becomes a priority in order to maintain a consistent and healthy sleep schedule that works with your circadian rhythm.

2. Fuel Your Body
The human body doesn’t function that well without proper fuel. Unless there’s a specified time of fasting from food, it’s best to follow a balanced meal plan that allows for your body to receive necessary vitamins and nutrients, including fruits and vegetables. Caffeine and sugar may provide a temporary boost, but ultimately are only momentary distractions from our body’s need for balance.

3. Exercise
As a principle, the Lord made our bodies to feel better and function better when we get enough physical activity. Whether it’s our usual time spent in the garden or going for a jog or a walk, actually putting our bodies in motion helps with the overall rhythm of our sleep and alertness. Physical activity also has a substantial impact on our mood and outlook in life.

Get Your Mind Right

Even when all the physical factors of praying at night are working in your favor, it can still be a challenge to find a good routine if your perspective is off.

1. Watch Your Thoughts
When we start to magnify the difficulties, even our mental grumbling and complaining can undermine the current progress we’ve achieved in adjusting to the physical demands of a different schedule. If the constant meditation is focused on what you’re missing by changing your schedule to accommodate prayer at night, or what you’ve given up to make prayer a normal part of your routine, these may make praying at night a short-term experience.

2. Maintain Your Focus
During the time of actual prayer, having an outline of how you will utilize your designated time can be helpful. It could be a list of prayer requests from family members and friends or specific passages of Scripture that you desire to pray over friends, coworkers, people groups, or your own emotions. Actually having a technique for praying, such as pray-reading the Word, can help sustain prayer for longer periods of time, producing a dialogue with the Lord.

3. Let the Lord Judge
It’s normal to start something with an idea of how it should look or what needs to happen. And it’s good to have goals, as long as they’re realistic and you’ve given your body time to adjust. But when there are moments in which your goals aren’t being achieved, you’ve dozed off again, and your body feels tired, instead of condemning yourself or giving into accusation that praying at night is impossible, futile, or worthless, remember to let the Lord judge how He thinks you’re doing. Seek His thoughts to find out what He speaks over your time of prayer before Him.

Whether you feel called to pray at night or just have the desire and the ability to spend hours at night praying, responding to the opportunity to pray when many around you are sleeping is a response the Lord see and appreciates.

As members of the body engage in the reality of Luke 18, we partner with what the Lord is doing in the earth at this time, praying His desires into the lives of those around us—whether we’re asking our good Father for healing, petitioning Jesus for salvation of entire people groups, or inviting the Comforter to sustain hurting people in the midst of violence and turmoil or to bring restoration of broken relationships.

Almighty God is powerful and wise enough to resolve all societal problems and turmoil simply, without hesitation. He has chosen to bring resolution by answering the prayers of His children in this span of time before His Son returns to rule as King of the earth.

In this exchange, we learn how His Kingdom works, how He rules, and what we can give to see His will accomplished in this day.

As we ask, seek, and knock in the nights, we are inviting the God of all the earth to invade the dark places in the lives of friends, family members, cities, people groups, and governments.

We are agreeing with Jesus.

“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

Written by fia curley

Source: http://www.ihopkc.org