Aka Chukwu di ya - God has a hand in it.

Aka Chukwu di ya is an expression in Igbo language that translates as “God is involved or God has a hand in it”. It usually denotes something miraculous, divinely ordained or arranged; something that is too wonderful to have been orchestrated by humans.

The issue however is this: most times, we only believe that God was involved in a thing after a positive outcome. What we fail to realise is that God doesn’t just come into a situation at the last lap to perform His miracle; He doesn’t sleep all through our sufferings and suddenly awakes because things are getting out of hand. No, He has been there all the while.

Jesus sleeping in the boat

We recall what happened in Matthew 8:23-27. The disciples had entered a boat with Jesus because of the multitude that thronged to meet Him. While the boat sailed, a tempest arose that attempted to capsize it. The Bible recorded that Jesus was asleep, or rather, the disciples thought He was sleeping.

When the disciples exclaimed in unbelief, indicating their little understanding of who rode with them in the boat, Jesus arose and rebuked them first before rebuking the winds.

Was the tempest caused by God? No, it was caused by satan – in fact, Jesus rebuked it. But was God aware of the tempest? Yes. And we see the result in verse 27 where the people marvelled at the incredible authority of Jesus over the winds and the sea.

God allowed satan to tempt Job

Another practical example is the story of Job. Satan had desired to tempt Job with the things that he cherished so much. So, he began by taking away his valuables – his properties and ten children. When this failed to bend Job, he desired to wreck Job’s health.

Job sensed that God was involved in his predicaments -not that God allowed satan but that God was actively involved in the torments. And in the first chapters of Job one could see Job accusing God of injustice, oppression and being in league with the wicked.

That mindset changed in the later chapters of Job when he adjusted his words. Eventually, he was blessed with twice as much as he had before his misfortune.

Now, if one had told us that God was involved from the onset and did nothing to abate Job’s sufferings, we would shrug our shoulders in disagreement. It’d be difficult to associate this good and loving God with evil. In fact, we might act like the friends of Job who accused him of all manner of sins.

But aka Chukwu (God’s hand) was there when the discussions took place in heaven; He was there in the beginning of Job’s sufferings; in the middle of it and at the end of the chronic disease.

We can always tell if God is involved when we’ve searched inward and there’s no trace of unrighteousness nor any unrepented sins in us. And most times, He comforts even in the midst of the trauma saying, “my grace is sufficient for you and my strength is made perfect in your weakness.”

What to do when God seems absent

God will never leave us comfortless. So, when you go through the troubles of life, please always remember that:

God is there when the place is dark and He’ll still be there when the light comes on.

He is there when you are crying and He will still be there when you’ll laugh.

He is there at the hospital bed and will be there when your health is fully restored.

God’s hand is there when you feel disappointed, and will still be there when you’ll be appointed.

He is with you when you’re jobless and will be there when you get a job.

He was with you when you were a sinner and He’s still there now that you’ve become a saint.

He’s with you when you don’t know what direction to go and will be there when you eventually find the way.

God’s hand was there when Joseph was hated, sold, abused and jailed. And He was certainly there when Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt.

He’s with you when you’re homeless, going from house to house and sleeping under the bridge. And He’ll be there when you become a homeowner.

Gideon asked the angel, “if God is with us, why are these things befallen us? Where are all the miracles our forefathers spoke about?” But God was there as they suffered at the hands of the Midianites as He has been when He freed them from the bondage in Egypt. God was simply waiting to find a man that’ll be threshing wheat in the winepress.

Beloved, just stay clear from sin and continue threshing. Sometimes God wants you to acquire the skill set required for the position he’s preparing exclusively for you. He wants you to graduate from the school of adversities, affliction, mockery and scorning because that’s where great men and women are groomed. Satan will not laugh forever and you will not cry forever either.

Nwannem, aka Chukwu di ya. (My dear, God has a hand in it)