Corona or not, GOD is still moving! More testimonies…

Tonight I just want to share two stories that encouraged me this week. 2020 has taken turns absolutely noone expected and it’s easy for one to question everything and wonder if anything in this life is worth holding on to. For me, I continue to find that God is the one factor that remains unchanged. But why? How?

Story 1 – Prayer still works – Winning the “Oscars”

In the testimony that is pinned to this blog’s home page, I talked about my MBA journey and the extra year I spent on the market (I still hope to write this story). I subsequently rejoined my pre-MBA employer. You know how you have the Oscars for the movie industry and the Pullitzer prize for journalism, we have a similar award in my industry. Before I left for my MBA, I had won this award back to back. Now back in the trenches, I was up for consideration for the 2020 award once again (alongside my team) but I had been away for three years and Corona had materially altered how we engage with clients who vote independently (and cannot be lobbied). For context, since I left, this award had gone to our competitors, and they were once again in the 2020 hat. Additionally, of my team that partook in the 2020 awards, everyone was new bar one. So you see the odds were against us.

We had worked incredibly hard over the past year so I prayed to God about it, as winning is always a good feeling, even better when it’s with your team and the odds are against you. The end of the story is that we won the award! God came through. My prayers were answered. Seeing what victory meant to my team was even more joyous and gave me reasons to thank God even more. So one thing I’ve found that still works is prayer!

Story 2 – Faith still works

A friend of mine, let’s call her Jane. Jane was on the verge of being kicked out of her student residence. Busy with an intense and highly competitive summer internship, searching for a new place would have been a major headache. After all students were given a deadline to move out, Jane pleaded for an extension so she could finish her internship. The building management approved but not for as long as she desired. That was good enough, at least for the time being. But what happens when the deadline approached while she was in the thick of her internship? Where would she stay? How badly would it affect her performance on the job and could her chances of securing a full time offer be at risk?

Jane shared her challenges with me. I encouraged her to ask for another extension, but this time to ask for the entire summer till when the building was to reopen to all students. Considering she had already been granted an extension, plus that most students had moved out already, she thought this was an impossible ask. In fact, prior to our conversation, her mind had been set to only ask for time till she finished her internship, subsequent to which she would have needed to move into a more expensive place. But she chose faith. She requested for the entire summer. She chose to trust that God could do the seemingly impossible. Besides, didn’t God himself say in Jeremiah 32:27 that there is nothing too hard for Him to do?

The end of this story is that the building management granted her request! She got the permission to stay all summer and was told that she’s the only student with such a permission – can you believe that! Taking the risk to believe the seemingly impossible, giving God a chance to work on her behalf, praying about it and speaking it to life were some of the things she did. (Study my blog post on the power of speaking things to life). So another thing that I’ve found that still works is faith and hoping in God!

Whatever you may be going through, whatever cards life may have dealt you, I hope you can find strength through faith and prayer, knowing that if they worked for Jane and I, they will surely work for you. God is able to do superabundantly more than all you dare ask or think (Ephesians 3:20-21). Just learn to trust in Him with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). God bless!