Exceeding Abundantly Above All

“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