Gate Keeper

Since myself and the kids have been living alone, we've had our fair share of moves. And this was since my son was three months old. And from that first move with the kids and for the next eight years, we moved six times (that's an average of moving every one and a half years). With small children, this is a lot; even with our very small belongings, it was still a lot. This nomadic life made me have a phobia for moving (which I still have till today).

With many of the places we lived, even before we started settling in, we had to move. But there was a place we lived in for a longer period than others which gave us a bit of relief. In this place, my kids were able to go outside and play during the summer, along with other kids. Their friends were not living far, so they were able to go to their friends' house, go to the park together, ride their friends' bikes across roads. I really loved that they were able to play outside, not stuck in the room or house; not having a restriction (so to speak).

Wanting the best of both worlds, having the kids to at least have a semblance of peace and freedom while also being mindful of their safety, I became a gate keeper. I started praying for the kids playing on our close. I didn't pray for my kids alone, but all the kids that played outside - that the LORD would protect them, that no careless driver will come and run anyone of them over, no accident, no kidnapping and all that. I couldn't bear to think of how I'd feel if anything happened to any of those kids, though myself or my kids may never know their names.

Fast forward to where we currently live (another close), where we've lived for almost nine years, a quiet neighbourhood when we moved here and still relatively quiet. It was a good neighbourhood where the kids would go out into the street to play. Many times my son would be outside with other kids on weekends, all of them playing without an adult policing them, shouting joyously and having fun. (Kids can't do that anymore. The best they can do now is in their family back garden or the park and you better have your eyes open, watching them, even in your own 'secure' garden).

And here as well, I became a gate keeper - even more so. Praying for all the kids, for GOD's protection on all of them, that no accident would befall these growing children. Then Covid hit and everybody was stuck at home, people were dying catastrophically (I am deeply sorry if this brought back sad memories), then I realised that I couldn't bear to see ambulances on my road nor hear wailings. So, I started praying, not just for the kids but all the people living on the road leading to our close, all the streets and roads that connect to our road, that no one would die, that GOD would watch over everyone, protect everyone. Throughout the peak of Covid from end of 2019-end of 2021, once did I see an ambulance come to our road to take someone to the hospital. And when the paramedics were taking the woman, I was praying for GOD to watch over her, that she would not die. I was going to go to the house afterwards to ask how she was doing, but never got to doing it.

Covid came and went (mostly), I didn't relinquish my responsibility as a gate keeper. I continued but there were times when I relented and when I did, I would know, as this was when I would see some unscrupulous humans lurking around, when I saw drivers using their mobile phones while driving on our road. That was when, as a home worker, my internet would not be working fine while I attended meetings.

All these events made me realise that praying over my neighbourhood was important. As such, I would regularly dispatch GOD's angels to watch over our Close, the road leading to it and all the inroads to these (Hebrews 1:14). I would also plead the blood of Jesus over my neighbourhood regularly. When I see such unscrupulous people, like I saw some weeks ago in my front yard, I say 'no' in the spirit. I don't go and fight or shout, I just send them away in the place of prayer.

Since we moved to this neighbourhood, I have neither heard of a knife crime, an accident, car or phone theft or any of those crimes nor disasters. Truthfully, when coming home late in the night, walking on our very long road (13mins walk from the station home and 10mins from the bus stop), I am more scared of foxes than humans.

What I am saying in essence is this - where I live, where you live, where we live is our responsibility. We are gate keepers and can determine the atmosphere of our neighbourhoods. Can you imagine one Christian on every road/street in our cities, towns, all over our countries - a gate keeper, a custodian - praying for peace in our neighbourhoods. How about that organisation or the sector where we work? We're not there by accident - we complain of wickedness growing and corruption expanding fearlessly - how about praying for GOD's kingdom to come where we work, and in our neighbourhoods. It doesn't have to be an hour or thirty minutes, it could be 5 sincere minutes, regularly. And we'll see what the LORD would do.

There's a saying in my language (Yoruba) - 'Irorun igi ni irorun eye.' The peace of the tree is the peace of the bird. In Bible language, "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:7 - New International Version)