Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi
‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the almighty
I will say to the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him will I trust
Surely, he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thy trust, his truth shall be thy shield and buckler
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor the arrow that flieth by day
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor the destruction that wasteth at noonday
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee……………………… He shall call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation’
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High……………………
Nyamata Roman Catholic Church, Rwanda, 10th April 1994. 10,000 people sought refuge from machetes and clubs wielded by agents of the devil. The devil won the day
Ntarama Roman Catholic Church Rwanda, 15th April 1994. 5,000 people were in a sacred place, they fell into the snare of the fowler
Nyarubuye, Roman Catholic Church, Rwanda, 15th April 1994. 20,000 souls huddled in the secret place of the most high. A noisome pestilence befell them
Hundreds of thousands more sought refuge in sacred places in vain across Rwanda in 1994
Kanungu, Uganda, 17th March 2000. 700 worshippers thought they were under the shadow of the Almighty, but fell in a fiery inferno orchestrated by those who take God’s name in vain
Charleston, South Carolina, June 17th 2015. A white supremacist terrorist spilt the blood of nine African-Americans under the shadow of the Almighty
Ozobulu, Anambra State, April 15th 2017, 13 people fell in a place of safety and protection, gunned down by a drug cartel in a turf battle taken into the house of God
Owo, Ondo State, June 5th 2022. 40 innocent souls were wasted as they gathered in a holy place
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor the destruction that wasteth at noonday…………..
On June 5th in Owo
There was terror in broad daylight and a hail of arrows
Destruction in the morning, noon and night
A river of blood ran through a place of prayer
Bodies blown apart on floors where they had knelt to receive Holy Communion
Children lost parents
Parents lost children
Husbands lost wives
Wives lost husbands
Families lost parents, children, husbands and wives
A little boy of ten became a man who drenched himself in blood in order to play dead
He then carried the corpse of his sister to the morgue
Their mother now hovers at the brink of insanity
Grown men and women, all the high and mighty
wept bitterly at the scene of the desolation
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor the arrow that flieth by day
You have promised us your protection Father
Do not forsake us
We are afraid of the terror by night and the arrows that fly by day are relentless
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee
Thousands are falling every day Father
It has come near us all
They are falling at our left and our right
Put fear in the hearts of the wicked
Break the hands of the devils who bear weapons in the secret place of the most high
Humble those who test our faith and our trust in you
Strengthen those you have placed to lead us
So that they can do the right thing at the right time
Without fear or favour
Put courage in the hearts of the brave so that they will not waver
Place the truth in the mouths of those who need to say it loud and clear
Open the ears of those who need to listen
Widen the eyes of those who need to see more clearly
Give us faith, we are sorely tested and depleted
Comfort those who mourn
Heal the broken
Bless those who have risen in defence of the defenceless
Keep those who give voice to the voiceless
I will say to the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him will I trust
As they lay dying in the secret place of the most high, they would have said, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in him will I trust’. Let their final prayers not be in vain. Let them have justice. Let the shedding of innocent blood stop. Let us have peace in our land. Let your fear rule the hearts of men and women and not the fear of the wicked.
‘He shall call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.
This is your promise of protection Lord
Please answer as we call, we are in trouble
Please deliver all your children of all the faiths
Our lives are getting shorter by the day.
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a Gender Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Writer. She is the Founder of Abovewhispers.com, an online community for women. She is the First Lady of Ekiti State, and she can be reached at BAF@abovewhispers.com