WHEN THE MIDNIGHT OIL RUNS DRY

The thing about reflecting on the scriptures is that it can make you go gaga when you catch a revelation or rhema from a passage. I was reading my #LA130 daily portion of Matthew 25:1-13 when it struck me. The groom was delayed and the foolish virgins lost out because they had no extra oil at the midnight of their lives. It wasn’t that the foolish virgins weren’t good virgins; it wasn’t that they were impatient either; they were called foolish because they chose not to be prepared for the long haul, the winter or the dark night. They just didn’t have foresight in the event of any eventualities to their plans.

Now understand that people don’t usually use lamps in the day time. People usually use lamps when day has turned to night and the darkness surrounds them – that is when lamps or candles are usually flicked on. So it goes without saying that, if you’re waiting for an important guest, you should be prepared to receive this VIP at any time the VIP turns up bearing in mind that he may or may not turn up according to the appointed time planned. Well, the foolish virgins had a short time plan. What they didn’t envisage was a long time plan and because of this oversight, at midnight, their oil ran out just when they needed it most – chei!

What do you do when your oil runs out?

Understand that oil is meant to beautify and smooth skin or enrich the texture of food or grease the smoothness of an object into operating smoothly. Oil is meant to stop things from becoming rusty or make things run smoothly. Oil, when used on the face puts a glow on your facial skin. Oil takes away the dryness or brittleness of life so to say. That is why we have petroleum oil for our cars with its by-products like Vaseline oiling our lips. That is why we have coconut oil for our skins; we have kerosene oil for our stoves and all kinds of oil for all kinds of purposes. For the virgins, the oil was meant for the oiling of their lamps to give them light to brighten & dispel the darkness of their surroundings and perhaps to illuminate their faces and make them recognisable to the groom.

Now verse 5 of Matthew 25 tells me the groom was delayed. Remember the word – delayed. What do you do when your groom is delayed? Not that he jilted you, he was merely delayed; not that he didn’t want you, he was merely delayed; not that the wedding wasn’t going to hold nor that the marriage wouldn’t take place – he’s still gonna show up but he’s been merely delayed; he’s still gonna marry you but he was delayed – what are you gonna do about it eh?

Delay! Are you like me and don’t like that word at all. Never liked it then, don’t like it now. Some likely scenarios: your airport flight was delayed from 8:15am to 5:15pm, it happens. Your tailor delayed in finishing that dress you needed for a very important occasion, it happens. What about the long queues at the bank just when you need to rush in and out and then you’re told the bank computer crashed, please hold on. Or when the ever fiery preacher just keeps on yapping and refuses to round up the message in time and your godly etiquette wouldn’t permit you to just up and quit the service? Lest I forget natural blessings like when it’s raining cats and dogs or hailing an avalanche of snow at your doorsteps and right before your very eyes, the clock is ticking away and there’s nothing you can do about it as your plans just simply falls away because man or nature interfered – it is very frustrating.

What are you going to do when your groom has been delayed and your oil is running dry? Natural reactions are beginning to set in: anxiety, panic, fear, disappointments, depression – these creepy feelings are keeping you company and making you feel even much worse. I tell you, it can be scary and frustrating. But I’ve got good news for you – I’m here to tell you that your groom is still coming! Though he delays, wait for it since it will certainly come and not be late. (Habakkuk 2:2-3). Ok but he should have been here by my 10am or 12noon or 2pm, sorry he got delayed and hasn’t shown up – na wao – this groom aint coming no more. That is a lie from the devil. Your groom is coming!

Now I may be using the groom analogy but it goes beyond the marriage context. Your groom might be that long awaited child, that job or employment you searching for; that visa or admission letter that isn’t forthcoming; that contract that is way over due or that your competitor sort of snatched under your nose; that sickness that you’ve been battling since way-back-when; that promotion, ambition, dream, troubled marital home, family etc – whatever that delayed groom represents in your life, I am here to announce to you, your groom (your testimony, your breakthrough, the promise) will surely come at the appointed time. If it hasn’t come, then it isn’t the appointed time.

If you feel your bottle of oil is running dry, go buy another bottle of oil. Stock up and don’t let your (oil) run dry. It wasn’t the groom’s delay that locked the foolish virgins out of the banquet feast nor was it the beautiful lamps or the wise virgins, it was the oil – the lack of oil that they allowed to run dry that locked them out. Initially they had the oil, the purity, the grace & the joy, the love & the kindness, the presence of the Holy-Spirit but gradually, when the midnight of their lives approached, they grew weary of waiting and since time dragged on, they soon lost hope and they stopped caring. They allowed the vicissitudes of life, societal pressures etc to weigh them down.

And finally, their faith grew thin. They allowed the physical to dictate the spiritual and finally they lost. This message is for those who feel they have lost their oil – you can get it back. Stop dwelling on stuff you cannot control like the time the groom would show up, the time Nigeria would be great, the time the child, admission, award or job, appointment or money would come because it would eventually come when you least expect. Go get your extra oil. Start with your little corner – your home, your neighbourhood, your village, your city, your face book page, your twitter lane, your blog –those are the places or things you can control and leave the controller of time and output to do the rest. They all became drowsy and fell asleep. Yes, those moments will surely come but when you wake up and you will because you aint dead yet, then go take a shower, a bath, a soak even and freshen up with extra oil!

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Hope you enjoyed this piece. Please don’t hurry off. I would love to read your comments so please drop them. As always the handle is: @signetseal