“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Ephesians
3:20 (KJV)
God has always been in my life.
As a little girl, I loved church and
knew there was a God. When I was nine or ten, my parents went through a tough time,
and we didn’t go to church as much. I really wanted to go back and I prayed,
“Lord, I want to be in your church all the time.” The year I turned thirteen, we returned.
“God, I’m here! I’m back!” I told him
when I walked through the church doors. I gave my life to the Lord that year,
at least, I made it official by walking forward and getting baptized. I think
my heart has always been with Him.
When I was in college, I went to
school during the day and worked in an insurance company at night, so I was
unable to be as involved in church as I’d once been. One time, however, I was able
to participate in a youth convention. I was in the balcony looking at a group
of children clustered around the pulpit below.
One pretty little girl had a special
presence about her. She stood out to me.
Spontaneously, I prayed silently, “God, one day I want to have a baby as
pretty as she is.” I felt His calm assurance.
At work the following Monday, I and
all the other employees were sitting, typing as usual, when the girl on my left
stopped typing, turned to me and said, “Tonya, you’re going to have a pretty
baby.”
I looked at her like, What? I’d just prayed that prayer to God. How did
she know? When she saw the expression on my face, she said, “Don’t worry about it. I get that all the
time. God tells me stuff, and I tell people about it.” God had confirmed his
promise.
The years progressed, and I married.
When my husband, Oliver, and I decided to begin our family, we experienced
problems with infertility for three years, and then I had two miscarriages.
What held me together through all our
challenges and losses was remembering that God heard my prayer and confirmed
His promise. Was He testing my faith? I vowed to remain faithful to His word.
He kept his promise to me and then
some. We had a beautiful baby, a girl! Then God blessed us with two more, boys!
He always gives “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” Thanks
be to God! Tonya
Phipps