Do not be afraid from “The Chief Braggist”

Dear Diary, 26 May 2024

I am not a Bible scholar, but if you know me, you’d know I love to read the Bible from start to finish every year. This year, the Prophet Isaiah is brand new to me. Oh my gosh! I have read Isaiah many times—in fact, I can categorically say this would be the eighth or ninth time in a row that I have read the Prophet Isaiah annually. I do this by reading different translations. So, if I read the NLT this year, I would read the GNT next year, and so on. When I encounter a portion that looks new to me, I go back to GNT, RSV, or GNBDK. Always the British versions, though.

I know Prophet Isaiah as the shouting prophet, the suffer-head, the town crier—the one who never has anything good to say. When I read him, I just see doomsday. This prophet must have been hated so much in his time because every time he opened his mouth, like Sango-the-god-of-fire, he would pour out doom on the people and the kings. In fact, no one escaped the mouth of Prophet Isaiah. So, I read the book with little attention to the positive.

However, this time around, my attention has been rapt. Maybe it’s because of the Gaza-Israeli war (of course, I won’t share my opinion on this because I have none—thank God, I don’t), but since reading the book of Genesis, I started to see new attributes of God. Maybe because I myself, like an egg, am going through a new developmental stage into becoming a regal peafowl.

From the book of Genesis, I saw God as this biased King. Why Abraham? Why? What made him special in all the world? But in the midst of my envy for Abraham, I was humbled at how love-struck God is. In Abraham’s time, God displayed His love in the form of “faithfulness.” The loyalty that Abraham gave God was reciprocated in faithfulness. These two incomparable beings were in love, though I didn’t read the word “love” explicitly, it was in the air. All God wants is for us to say to Him, “I am all yours.” These men couldn’t have been poor even if they wanted to; God could literally pluck birds from the sky for Abraham to eat—at least He did for the children of Abraham in Exodus.

Now, let’s jump to Exodus. After all that God did for the children of Israel and the wonders He performed consistently for forty years, it is shocking to me that they consistently failed to see the love of God. At some point in the book of Kings, even I said, “God, you are not even wicked. If I were you, I swear by myself, I would have killed all these people and never again created human beings.” Thank God I am a mere mortal. The Books of Kings are no different from what we do today. And for the first time, I was able to narrow our sins into one—pride. Ah, the human pride—even in the grave, man is pompous.

Because of this pride, Isaiah started screaming. No one was spared, from Ethiopia to Babylonia—whatever kingdom it was, they had a special share in Isaiah’s doomsday. If you read the first ten chapters, Isaiah was begging people like a mad person to love God. Then in the next ten chapters, there was no terrifying doom that did not come out of his mouth. Because mere mortals think they are immortal, I saw a terrifying God, who would stampede out anything that contested with His power. For the first time in my life, I bowed and said, “The Great Unrivalled—He will humble anything and anyone to show that He is God.” I am literally afraid of anyone who doesn’t have the fear of God. I will start with all the politicians—Isaiah’s big mouth is waiting for all of you.

For the first time, Isaiah made me understand the indescribable might of God. I was saddened by King Hezekiah’s foolishness in Isaiah 39 and his selfishness when he was relieved that the doomsday would not come in his lifetime but to his descendants. I almost cried out, “Dear God, aren’t you partial? Why did Hezekiah enjoy that extra 15 years in peace for a sin he committed?” I began to pray more fervently the Litany of Humility. “God, please, as foolish and useless as I am like Hezekiah, rid me of my pride.”

Then God revealed that with all the disastrous things Isaiah’s big mouth had proclaimed, who would not fear God? Terrible in His anger, God will destroy and even feel remorse for having created us, like He did with Saul. At this point, the Nigerianness in me screamed, “God abeg o!”

This was where I melted the most and I said with all my heart, “God, you are a being of Love. In fact, all I need to do to be one with You is to love You with all my heart and be rid of pride.” I saw God trying to reassure us that we are anxious for nothing and that He is enough. God struggling to show us who He is and what He can be to us.

Between Isaiah 41-44, I see how God tries His best in five-part messages to ask us not to fear:

• In 41:10-14, He says, “Don’t be afraid, I will help you.”
• In 43:1-2, He says, “Do not be afraid, I will save you.”
• In 43:3-7, He says, “Do not be afraid, I am with you.”
• In 44:2-3, He says, “Do not be afraid, you are the one I love.”
• In 44:8-14, He says, “Do not be afraid, I am all-powerful.”

In His bragging rights, God declares as the unsurpassable “Chief Braggist” of all time:

• In 42:8, He says, “I am the Lord your God. No other god may share my glory.” He uses “may” because it is unthinkable to His being that another could even think it to stand as god.
• In 43:11-13, He says, “I am the Lord, the only one who can save you.” Then He bragsssss, “No one can escape from my power, no one can change what I do.”
• In 43:15, He says, “I am the Lord, your King.”
• In 44:6, He brags, “I am the first, the last, the ONLY God; there is no other god but ME.”
• In 44:24, He says, “I am the Lord, your Saviour; I am the one who created you…when I made the earth, no one helped ME.” — The Braggist!
• In 45:5, He says, “I am the Lord, there is no other god but ME. I will give you the strength you need, although you do not know me.” — The lover
• In 45:19, He says, “I am the Lord, and I speak the truth.”
• In 46:5, He asks, “To whom will you compare me? Is there anyone else like me?” — no Lord, no one.
• In 48:12, He says, “I am God, the first, the last, the ONLY God.”
• In 48:17, He says, “I am the Lord, your God, the one who wants to teach you for your own good and direct you in the way you should go.”

By the time of Isaiah, God, like a loving father, had to reveal all His love. He couldn’t code Himself anymore to His obstinate children—we had become so far away from Him, He couldn’t bear it anymore. He had to let us know reassuringly that He is God—and we are loved, chosen, and that He, by Himself, will do anything at all for us if only we acknowledge Him because no one but Him is God. In the end, I realised that all God wants from us is our love and faith. Through the Prophet Isaiah, I learned about God’s unrivalled power, justice, and unwavering love. This discovery has transformed my understanding and has touched my heart deeply. Now, I know say, God sabi brag! In fact, only Him has the “Bragging Right” forever and ever without end.

So now, here I am, reflecting on all of this. If God has shown Himself to be the ultimate Chief Braggist, displaying His love and power through history and my own life, then why not let Him continue to do so? In fact, let me say it loud and clear in Nigerian pidgin:

“God please, Me, I love you with all my heart more than all other humans put together, abeg come and brag with my life. Come and show all my enemies (I don’t know who or where they are but still come and show them) that you are the King of my life. If they try anything, that tenth plague you didn’t send to the Egyptians – that is in your mind and I know you will brag about as the only God, please send to them on my behalf and show them pepper plus fire. Come and brag with my life that you are my love and I, your beloved. Come and be my Chief Braggist. So today, I surrender and crown you, the Chief Braggist of my life.“

But this isn’t just about me. To everyone reading this, I want to share this profound truth: God desires to be the Chief Braggist in your life too. Whatever challenges you are facing, whatever fears or doubts you have, remember God’s promises. He says in Isaiah:

• “Don’t be afraid, I will help you.” (41:10-14)
• “Do not be afraid, I will save you.” (43:1-2)
• “Do not be afraid, I am with you.” (43:3-7)
• “Do not be afraid, you are the one I love.” (44:2-3)
• “Do not be afraid, I am all-powerful.” (44:8-14)

These words are not just ancient texts; they are living promises for us today. God is eager to show His love, power, and faithfulness in your life. Allow Him to be your Chief Braggist, to demonstrate His greatness through your story. Let His love transform your fears into faith, your struggles into testimonies, and your life into a testament of His glory.

Together, let’s embrace this divine love and proclaim, “God, come and brag with my life. Show the world that You are my God, and I am yours. In every challenge and triumph, let Your name be glorified.”

And finally, see you all at the end of Isaiah! I just got to Isaiah 50. Starting 51 from tomorrow. Only God knows what Isaiah has up his sleeves for the rest of these chapters. I have braced my heart because with Isaiah, he is a bundle of surprises, he swings emotions as God pleases through his mouth.

May we all find comfort, strength, and unshakeable hope in the knowledge that we are deeply loved by the Greatest Braggist of all, our Heavenly Father.

With all my love,