On Tuesday, 14th February 2017, my six-month old son and I were home alone like every other day while I tried my best to prepare dinner quickly so I could meet up with time for the prayer meeting. I couldn’t because when I glanced at the time, it was already 5:30 p.m. and the food was nowhere near ready. I was singing while cooking and my son danced to the music. I even created a tune for Psalm 91 and was singing out my heart, while my son continued dancing. By the time the food was ready, I was already late for prayer meeting. While waiting for the food, I was sitting at my dining table singing while my son was on his play mat, with our inverter on. Immediately I stopped singing, he began crying uncontrollably, and knowing my son very well; he hardly cries. I pleaded with him to allow me prepare and pack the food in a flask for his father but he cried bitterly, indicating that I should carry him by stretching out his hands.

I stood up and carried him into the sitting room. Few seconds after moving to the sitting room, I heard a very loud noise like an explosion from the dining area and something fell on the floor. I was shocked but didn’t move. I thought to myself, “Could it be the inverter has blown?” However, no smell or smoke was coming from that part of the house, and the lights and ceiling fan were still on. I stood up to put off the inverter with my Nigerian mentality saying, “If the inverter wan to spoil, no be for my hand e go spoil.” After putting it off, I decided to check for whatever fell on the floor using the torchlight in my phone, and I saw a bullet. Cold ran down my spine, creating goose bumps all over my body. I shouted, “BULLET!! From where?”

I looked at the ceiling and found that the bullet hole was directly where I just stood up from a few minutes ago. I ran to my room, dropped my son and started crying, praising and thanking God from the depth of my heart. So many “What ifs…” filled my head. I called my husband, my mother and my elder brother immediately to tell of what happened, and they were all praising God for my life. My husband is still shocked till date.

After recovering from the shock, I went outside to ask my neighbours if they had heard any gunshots that evening, but they all gave me negative answers. Till today, I don’t know where the bullet came from, and I don’t want to know because God had promised my household and I in Psalm 91:5-6 that we wouldn’t “…be afraid of the terror by night, nor the arrow that flies by day; nor the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” In verse 11, He said He would give His angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways. He also promised that He will satisfy us with long life in verse 16.

It would have been another story but God kept my household and I from sorrow and shame. Thank God my son cried the way he did and thank God I listened to him. Thank God I didn’t carry him to the dining area to breastfeed him because I always do that whenever I want to eat. Above all, I thank God for His gift of life.