It hardly rains in February in Nigeria. As February is the coldest month anywhere around the Northpole, the opposite happens in Nigeria. I was an undergraduate and the weather was sweltering hot. Oh, it was very hot. I have the fortune of been born in that incomplete month which is also the hottest month in Nigeria. What has that got to do with the weather, you asked. Follow me and I will tell you. Having watched too many MTV musical videos, hosting a somewhat wild party was so much on my mind as my 21st birthday approached that February. I was going to invest my entire pocket money on this gig. My older sister whom we schooled together was also going to be very supportive. My friends (a lot of them) were really anticipating this birthday party Cherokee was going to host. My birthday was on a Tuesday but I wasn’t going to have a party on a Tuesday. The turn out would have been very low. Also, I had a very strong commitment to my fellowship where we often spend Tuesday evenings praying. Not just for us but for anyone that we could pray for. It was called Tuesday intercessory prayers. Now my social life was in no way going to stop my commitment to that meeting. No, it was not another religious activity. It was the pillar that helped my faith. Undoubtedly, I can trace everything that I had then and now to those Tuesday prayers. Those prayers have been very efficient in my walk with God. But how do I explain that I was that committed to this exercise and I was going to have wild birthday party? May God forgive us our foolishness and sins.

Like I mentioned, my birthday had fallen on a Tuesday and I had to be at the covered pavilion. Emphasis on Covered Pavilion. Everyone that attended OAU will understand covered pavilion as we also have the uncovered pavilion. My fellowship often occupied the covered pavilion while RCCG made use of the uncovered pavilion. Considering that it was the beginning of the year, the weather was crazily hot and we were all anticipating the rain. As we sat in the covered pavilion, the clouds began to move and it thundered. My pastor (Pastor kasman) got on the podium and requested that we have to pray to stop this rain. I tried to process why he wanted us to disturb God to stop the rain. After all, we were covered. He then explained that we needed to pray that the it doesn’t rain because the rain was going to disturb the RCCG service which was going on in the uncovered pavilion. As I sat on that concrete slab, I told myself “Pastor Kasman, you are on your own on this because first, we are covered, secondly the weather is extremely hot and we need some rain, thirdly what business do I have with RCCG” and so I objected to praying. The more the congregant prayed, the more it rained. The weather became chilled and though I went home enjoying the coolness of the weather, I felt some form of guilt.

However, as I rode on Road 1, I heard it clearly in my spirit “we needed your collective faith to stop the rain but you refused, lets see how your party on Saturday goes”. I thought that was just me guilt-tripping myself and I tried to shrug it off but I still noted it. Myself and my friends kept planning this birthday party for Saturday. Venue was set and drinks were piling up. IVs had been sent out and we were sure we were going to have a lot of fun (and yes they did). Let me mention I had also set my party on the same night a very popular magazine was having a rave. Some people felt I didn’t have enough clout to pull such a stunt but I was bent on proving a point. I must have really been feeling cool. Youthful exuberance. I insisted on having my party concurrently while the magazine hosted theirs. My older sister had arranged for the catering while my friends organized the drinks and the convoy. At 9pm, we decided to drive down into campus in convoy and the Thunder roared. Then I remembered the previous Tuesday and began to pray quietly to God to stop the rain. The more I prayed, the more it rained. We parked in front of Mozambique hall till the rain eventually stopped. Filled the cars with ignorant ladies and drove them to the venue where we partied till day break. However, I was too exhausted to enjoy the party I had spent all my pocket money on. I got into my own party venue at 2am and left at 4am.

I guess I already got the message God was communicating. What a myopic and selfish dude I was. The party was successful for those that attended. But for me, it was just another lesson in my walk with God and I already got my message.