I have never known a carrier of strategic glory who escaped the wilderness experience. When your ministry, gift, talents, and calling are designed to impact people beyond your cultural or national context, it is a sign that God has appointed you for a unique assignment for which he must thoroughly refine you.
The Carriers of Glory
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Adoniram Judson traveled to the nation of Burma as a missionary. At the time, Burma was a predominantly Muslim region. Shortly after his arrival, he was arrested by the Burmese authorities under allegations of espionage, charges he vehemently denied but which nonetheless led to his confinement in one of the most inhumane prisons of that era. There, Adoniram Judson endured unimaginable suffering; he was suspended by his thumbs from the ceiling of his cell, his entire body hanging in relentless agony. He had no realistic hope of survival, except for the unwavering devotion of his wife, Ann, who secretly made her way to the prison each night to encourage him. How she managed to avoid the guards remains a mystery that heaven alone will one day fully reveal.
Through a small opening in the roof of the cell, she would whisper, “Hang on, Adoniram, God will give us the victory.” Night after night she returned, whispering the same words of hope, before slipping away unnoticed. These visits became Adoniram Judson’s only source of strength, and he eagerly awaited her voice each night.
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Then one evening, Ann did not come. Adoniram Judson assumed it was an unfortunate accident. But she did not come the next night either. Days passed, then weeks, and finally months. Without her encouragement, Adoniram Judson sank into deep pain, despair, and emotional darkness. He became convinced that he would spend the rest of his life in that prison. Everything God had promised him seemed to have dissolved into nothingness. His missionary calling felt as though it had reached an irreversible end. It was a moment in which God’s “yes” appeared overshadowed by the harsh “no” of reality.
Months later, Adoniram Judson was unexpectedly released. His body bore the marks of brutal torture, broken bones, damaged limbs, and severe physical trauma. He staggered away from the prison with one question burning in his heart: Where is Ann? As he approached their former shelter, he noticed a baby rummaging through a refuse heap, scavenging for food.
Unknown to Judson, Ann had been pregnant at the time of his arrest. She had given birth shortly after, but her health deteriorated rapidly, preventing her from continuing her nightly visits to Adoniram.
Unable to care for the child in her weakened state, she left the baby to survive as best she could, while her own body wasted away to mere skin and bones. Yet, God had somehow preserved the child. Heartbroken, Adoniram Judson rushed to the refuse heap, lifted his daughter into his arms, and clung to her with anguish and relief. He then hurried into their hut, scanning the dim space until he saw a skeletal figure lying motionless on a wooden bed. It was Ann. Overcome with grief, he fell beside her, crying out, “Ann, Ann, oh my darling Ann.” As his tears touched her frail body, she summoned the final strength within her to whisper, “Hang on, Adoniram, God will give us the victory.” With those final words, she passed into eternity. Weeping profusely, Adoniram packed the remains of his wife for burial.
It was from this profound place of loss that Judson’s ministry took a dramatic new direction. He went on to establish significant missionary works, leading many souls to Christ, and planting numerous churches across the nation of Burma. God had appointed him to carry out a special assignment in a spiritually resistant region, an assignment that required him to walk through the fire of intense affliction.
The gap between what God has spoken and what you are currently experiencing may be due to timing, spiritual warfare, misinterpretation of what God has told you, divine testing, or the magnitude of your calling. Those appointed for nation-transforming roles or generation-shaping assignments often endure prolonged seasons of silence and difficulty. If your voice is destined to release songs that stir revival, holiness, and righteousness, God may allow you to be submerged in frustration, betrayal, and neglect. This is the price of carrying what I refer to as strategic glory.
Many carriers of strategic glory face painful contradictions:
“I know I am called to greatness, yet my progress feels painfully slow. I have received prophecies confirming my destiny, yet here I remain undocumented in a foreign land. Will this dream ever come to pass?”
Every child of God carries glory. Scripture reminds us:
Romans 8:30: “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
2 Corinthians 4:17: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
There is eternal glory reserved for those in Christ; the glory of being with Him forever in heaven. There are also personal glories tied to the magnitude of our earthly assignments. God’s purposes vary in scale: some resemble the glory of the sun, some the moon, and some the stars. Hear the voice of God through Apostle Paul,
“There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory” (1 Corinthians 15:21).
About thirty years ago, God began speaking to me about His calling in my life. I experienced dreams and encounters revealing a promising destiny, yet I did not know the specifics. God concealed the details, although He assured me that He would use me to bring glory to His house. Later, I began to attempt to travel out of Nigeria, seeking direction, but nothing worked. I attempted to enter the United States but was turned away at the embassy in Lagos. I applied for a UK visa and was denied three times. Eventually, I made my way to South Africa, where the most devastating season of my life began. After briefly working as a consultant for a mining company, I was not retained, and I soon fell into severe crisis. Securing money for food became a miracle. My landlord evicted me.
During this period, I lost my mother. My fiancée ended our relationship. Scammers gained access to my bank account and drained the little I had left. The bank refused to help. Every avenue I pursued failed.
I remember walking miles to meet an influential man, only for my sandals to break along the way. I dragged my foot to hide the broken sandal, only to be turned away without assistance. I approached another wealthy man, who dismissed me outright. I felt as though everything God had said to me had collapsed. I believed God had misled me.
What I didn’t realise was that I was fighting the battles of those destined to carry glory. God was preparing me. He did not want me to settle in South Africa. He shut every door to ensure that I kept moving. In the ashes of that suffering, He revived my calling and opened a supernatural door for me to move to Europe. There, I met a man whose ministry became the launching platform for my own teaching ministry. From Europe, God redirected me to North America, where my assignment is finally established. Today, many of the visions, dreams, and encounters I once questioned have come to pass. Through our writing and media ministry, God has allowed me to bring His glory to countless people across the world.
From Kenya to South Africa; from Uganda to Nigeria, the impact of our teaching ministry continues to bring glory to the name of the Lord. And this is aside the fact that the Lord began to open doors of professional impact to me, where the same man who was dragging his feet with a broken shoe, twenty one years ago, has today consulted for more than seventeen world class organisations, and still counting.
Some assignments carry greater strategic weight, not superiority, but greater impact.
Scripture and history reveal examples:
Individuals destined for national leadership
- Those called into the fivefold ministries.
Innovators assigned to create solutions to global challenges
- Scientists, creators, musicians, athletes, and other influencers. And others.
Such people often experience intense delays, stress, opposition, losses, and betrayals. Consider Joseph: who endured 13 years of hardship before standing before Pharaoh at age 30 or Moses; who spent 40 years in Midian before confronting Pharaoh at the age of 80.
If your assignment is deeply strategic and crucial to God’s agenda, you may face unusual challenges. But these trials will not last forever. They are preparing you for the glory you are destined to carry.
If you are on the verge of giving up, God has sent this as a word of encouragement. Here is what you must do:
- Like Moses, excel where you are, even when your circumstances look nothing like your calling.
- Like Joseph, serve faithfully, even while walking through difficulty.
- Avoid complaining or grumbling; God hears it.
- Do not repay hatred with hatred or envy with envy. Walk in love.
- Keep your prayer altar burning, no matter how weak you feel.
- Speak your future, not your limitations. Carry yourself by faith, not by the memory of your humble beginnings.
Hear what Job said in Job 23:8-10:
“Look, I go forward, but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. But He knows the way that I take. When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold”
I have never known a carrier of strategic glory who escaped the wilderness experience. When your ministry, gift, talents, and calling are designed to impact people beyond your cultural or national context, it is a sign that God has appointed you for a unique assignment for which he must thoroughly refine you.
If you are like me, or like Adoniram Judson, your suffering is only for a season and for a reason. Like Job, you will come forth as gold.
Ayo Akerele is the senior pastor of Rhema Assembly and the founder of the Voice of the Watchmen Ministries in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached through [email protected]. You can connect with him on: YouTube: @VoiceoftheWatchmen, TikTok: @drayoakerele, Instagram: @drayoakerele, Facebook: @Ayo Akerele
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