South-East London, UK – July 11, 2025. This morning began like many others: with my Bible opened, wrestling with God’s Word. Today, it was Ezra 4, and the story just struck me with a sudden, chilling reality. It recounts how the Samaritans initially approached the Israelites, feigning a desire to help build God’s temple. When met with a polite but firm rejection – “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord God of Israel” (Ezra 4:3, AMP) – their true colours emerged. They turned into a tactical, malicious, and persistent opposition, actively discouraging the people and frustrating their work.
As I read, a cold wave of fear washed over me. I immediately thought of the next work God is asking me to do at the moment as He’s laid on my heart. Pondering on this passage (Ezra 4), God, in His sovereign wisdom, just brought to my heart, showing me potential adversaries, revealing the subtle and overt tactics that might be adopted to stop His work. My mind raced, my heart pounded. I was scared, just like those Israelites. “What then can I do?” I whispered, feeling overwhelmed. “How do I fight against such calculated, spiritual opposition?”
Then, out of nowhere, something utterly remarkable happened.
I hardly watch statuses especially this crucial time of my PhD studies, coupled with ministries’ commitments, and simply navigating life, every minutes count at this time. And definitely not when I’m in the midst of studying God’s Word. Furthermore, I haven’t heard from my cousin, Tosin, since December 2024, let alone checked her status. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, a prompt led me to her profile.
Among her statuses, a video podcast from an East African lady, Mercy Guma, caught my eye. As I watched, she spoke with such passion about a Yoruba name for God that inspires her the most: ‘Oranmonisefayati‘. She explained its profound meaning: “God who sends you on an errand and backs you up.”
Honestly, at first, the full impact of that name didn’t hit me. There were even other two statuses from my cousin that initially inspired me more, speaking to different areas of my life. But it wasn’t until I closed my phone and got back to my Bible study, still wrestling with the fear from Ezra 4, that the revelation exploded in my spirit. The answer to my initial, desperate question – “What then can I do?” – was staring me in the face: Cry out to God (Oranmonisefayati) who sends you on the errand, when faced with opposition, rather than backing out!
This divine interruption, perfectly timed and utterly unlooked for, brought two major, life-altering lessons into sharp focus:
1. Ensure You Are Sent by God: He Only Pays for What He Orders
My Pastor often says, “God can only pay for what He orders.” This truth is the bedrock of all divine enterprise. If God has truly called you to a task, a mission, a season of work, then you can be absolutely certain of His provision and backing. It’s not about our ability, but His command.
Think of Moses, standing before the burning bush, filled with doubt about confronting Pharaoh. God’s response was not to empower his eloquence, but to confirm His divine sending: “Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10, KJV). And with that sending came the promise: “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say” (Exodus 4:12, KJV). God orders, God enables, God pays.
When Jesus sent out His disciples, He didn’t just give them a command; He gave them authority and promised His backing: “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given to you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Matthew 10:19-20, AMP).
This lesson demands honest self-reflection: Am I truly on an errand God has sent me on? Or am I pursuing my own ambitions, hoping for His blessing afterward? If God has truly ordered it, then the next lesson becomes our greatest comfort.
2. When Faced with Opposition, Run Back to Your Sender: He Will Deliver You
The fear I felt, reflecting on Ezra 4, was palpable. The Israelites were facing real, strategic opposition designed to stop God’s work. It’s easy to want to back out, to shrink from the fight. But Mercy Guma’s powerful emphasis on ‘Oranmonisefayati’ – the God who backs you up – is the antidote to that fear. When opposition arises, our first and most effective strategy is not to strategize against the enemy, but to return to the One who sent us.
Consider Nehemiah, facing relentless mockery and threats as he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. What was his response? “Hear, O our God, for we are despised; return their reproach on their own heads… We prayed to our God and set a guard against them day and night because of them” (Nehemiah 4:4-5, 9, AMP, emphasis mine). He didn’t just pray; he also took practical steps, but the priority was prayer, running back to the Sender. And the Oranmonisefayati delivered them!
David, facing the giant Goliath, didn’t rely on military strategy or his own strength. He declared: “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand…” (1 Samuel 17:45-47, AMP). He recognized he was on God’s errand, and the Oranmonisefayati was the ultimate backer.
Even the Israelites in Ezra 4, after a period of discouragement, ultimately returned to the work, spurred by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. And the Oranmonisefayati stirred up their spirit, enabling them to complete the temple (Ezra 5:1-2, Haggai 1:14-15).
My ‘Oranmonisefayati’ moment was a direct, timely answer from God. It was His personal message, confirming that the work He has called me to is indeed His errand. And when the inevitable opposition comes, I don’t need to fear or back out. My job is to run back to Him, the Sender, the Oranmonisefayati who sends me will surely back me up. The battle isn’t ours, it’s His, so, don’t help Him fight it.
To anyone feeling overwhelmed by opposition, uncertain of their path, or scared to move forward with a divine calling: First, truly ask if God has sent you. Seek His confirmation. And then, when the adversaries inevitably appear – whether in that academic arena, or as Mercy Guma listed, in that business, podcast, writing, job, music, health care, COS, in that UK that requires visa or in any aspect of life – remember Oranmonisefayati. Cry out to Him. He sent you, and He will back you up.
#Oranmonisefayati #DivineIntervention #GodsCalling #OvercomingOpposition #FaithJourney #Ezra4 #TrustGod #ChristianLiving #PhDLife #PersonalTestimony
Sources:
- The Holy Bible, Amplified® Bible, AMP Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
- The Holy Bible, King James Version, KJV.
- Oluwatosin Oyedeji’s WhatsApp Status
- Mercy Guma ‘Oranmonisefayati’, https://www.tiktok.com/@mercy_guma/video/7500995502696172822
- Inspired Scripture ‘Ezra 4: Lessons from the Opposition to the Temple Rebuilding Regarding Satan’s Tactics Against Jesus’ Servants’, https://inspiredscripture.com/bible-studies/ezra-4#gsc.tab=0
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