IN THE NICK OF TIME ~ Precious Victor Akah

Last month of February, I was to go for my visa extension on 10th of March. I had done every necessary thing required and was waiting for my company to give me a date I will go for my visa extension with the documents they would give me as usual.

However, the unexpected happened. On the 4th of March, (6 days to my visa expiration date), my company called and informed me that they will not be able to process my visa extension this year because of some unresolved issue they have with the immigration bureau.

When I heard those words "we cannot extend your visa this year", I was aghast. It sounded unreal and unbelievable. I felt I didn't hear what they said clearly and I asked questions to know if what I heard was accurate and, yes it was. Millions of thoughts flashed through my mind in seconds. I immediately told my husband who was listening what was happening and he was astounded. How do you quickly extend your visa within 6 days on your own without the assistance of the company you work for? I had been extending my working visa with my company for years, then in 6 days, I was expected to extend the visa by myself. How? With what documents?

I was unhappy, disappointed and shocked at the same time. I could not believe the company I have been working for for many years could say such to me. If I was told a month before or some months before, maybe I could have prepared myself and sort for another way. But I was told 6 days to my visa expiration date, and only 4 days out of these 6 days were working days when the immigration bureau opens for service. So I had just 4 days to extend my visa, otherwise, leave the country and go back home or face deportation or be in overstay and pay the charges and still be deported and also be banned from entering the country until the next 5 years. Hmmm! 

I was cooking when I received this disappointing news from my company. When I finished cooking, I sat down and ate my food. How could I have eaten under such circumstance? I remembered something: GOD IS FAITHFUL; GOD IS TOO FAITHFUL TO FAIL ME. I have been born again and walking with God for more than 10 years, and throughout these years, God has never failed to show up anytime I had a challenge as serious as this. So remembering that strengthened my heart and lifted my spirit. My husband also encouraged me to be strong and strengthened my faith with his words of encouragement.

In the heat of that moment, we decided to contact someone we thought could be of help because she had helped sometime in the past. She promised to help and that relaxed my mind a bit. But after waiting for 4 days to hear from her regarding my visa extension and she was no longer answering her calls, nor replying my messages after reading them, I became agitated, looking at the number of days I had remaining. I knew God was going to help me, but how He was going to do it and when He was going to do it I didn't know. So worry and fear nearly enveloped me, because the devil kept bringing all kinds of thoughts to my mind which I almost entertained: "You will overstay your visa and be sent back home - leaving your husband behind; you could even be taken to jail." "You may be deported and banned from entering the country." "The police will soon catch you." "You may need to travel out of the country to a neighboring country and you can't afford such expense at the moment." "You'll be sent back to your country shamefully, after spending many years in this country." These were the thoughts flashing back and forth in my mind.

But then, I remembered what God's Word says in Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I picked up my Bible and read some Scriptures to strengthen my heart and boost my faith in God's ability to deliver me just in time. I prayed with Psalm 61. I and my husband kept praying together on the matter; we also made a vow to God to give a certain amount of money to Him after He gives us victory. All this we did and kept hope alive. We had just 2 days remaining.

Then, a day to the day my visa would expire, God told us to contact someone. We contacted him and he responded immediately and positively, and guess what? God used this man to help us. On the day my visa was to expire (March 10th), the man assisted me greatly in extending my visa that same day. I got the type of visa and the length of visa I needed. Hmm! Faithful God! That is what I call Him: FAITHFUL GOD.

God came through for me just in the nick of time. My visa was successfully extended on March 10th (my visa expiration date). God is alive and God answers prayers. Please don't lose hope. What is that challenge confronting you right now, and you're thinking of giving up and ceasing to pray and hope on God? I'm encouraging you right now to continue to have faith in God. Don't lose hope in God. Don't stop praying; just in the nick of time, God will show up. He can even show up earlier. But He always always shows up, not on your time, but on His time, and He is never late. All you need to do is to keep hope alive and do not seek an alternative to God.

The Scripture says "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34:19 The Lord will always come to our rescue every time; He delivers us from every challenge that comes our way as His children. This is a strong promise you should hold on to strongly and always allow it strengthen your heart in times of challenges. You might wonder, "Why do we have to experience challenges in this world even as believers?" This is why: Challenges comes to strengthen our faith, boost our confidence in God, assure us that God is reliable, faithful and trustworthy. It also comes to show us the power of God and to birth testimonies that will draw sinners to Christ. So, don't judge God to be unfaithful and unkind. He will come to your help speedily.

Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." May the Holy Spirit strengthen your heart to wait on God, because He'll surely show up, just in the nick of time. If you're not yet a child of God, please consider doing so today, by repenting of your sins and believing in Jesus as your Saviour and confessing and making Him your Lord. You should consider doing this because God only shows up to help His children. If you're not His child, you're not entitled nor privileged to have His help. Only God's bonafide children have the privilege of being helped by God in times of challenges and trials. Surrender to Christ today.

God bless you. 

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