Skip Oprah (even though I kind of like her); here's what I know about God for sure...
If God said it, He will bring it to pass!
Many years ago, an evangelist prophetized (is that a real word?) to me that God was going to bless me in my studies and grant me favor. She told this to me right before I was going to undergrad. While I already was awarded an academic and music scholarship, I also applied for another scholarship and received it. I also eventually got other small scholarships and graduated with honors and thought "Ok, God. Thank you for blessing me." However, when I went to school for my cytotechnology certificate at Johns Hopkins, that's when I really saw God open doors for me. The program was very selective (only 5 students per year) and God blessed me to get it. Then I was featured on the front page of the hospital newspaper for the outreach activities I was doing in some of Baltimore's public schools. It ended up being a wonderful experience. I thought "Ok, God. Thank you for blessing me again!" Then I went to graduate school to work on my masters in public health. I received a big scholarship in year 2, and ended up with a job that paid for my last year of school. And then when I got my PhD - just kidding. I stopped at my masters. But anyway, I know that when God says something, you can bank on it. It doesn't mean that I didn't have any challenges, cuz trust and believe my student loans total more than some peoples' homes, but God is faithful! (Put a praise on it right there!)
God will make a way...
When I was preparing to go to Hopkins, I had no money for the program. I mean $0. Not even a student loan. We were coming up to the week I was supposed to be leaving for school with no money. We applied for a private loan with bank even though we had been turned down for others. A few days before I left, that loan came through. Look at God!
And a way.
I suffered a huge accident a few years ago rollerblading. I fractured my left elbow and ended up needing 5 surgeries, a cast, and year of occupational therapy to correct it - only it never was really corrected. At the time, it was my final year in grad school and my capstone project (similar to a thesis) was due. Unlike all of my friends who waited until the last minute to start their papers, I had begun months in advance and had been diligently working on it. When the accident happened, I had already had a solid first draft of about 17 pages. God put it in me to work on that paper early because after the accident, I could no longer type proficiently. Sometimes he makes a way before we even know the way was already made!
God is no respecter of person.
I know that God is able to do anything for anyone. I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer by far, typically a B student, but God has done great things for me in the area of academics.
The blessings of the Lord maketh rich...
Moving past my academic life, I picked up a job that seemed to be pretty good, but I just didn't like the job as much as I wanted to. I applied for a different position in the company for something more related to my studies. I felt really good about the interviews and was very hopeful, but ultimately did not get it. I stayed at the company and about year later, that position opened up again so I applied again. This time I got it and now I have a job that I absolutely love.
And He addeth no sorrow with it.
About a year into the new job, I got a big raise. I'm not going to get into the mechanics of why/how I got it. Just trust me when I say that I didn't ask for it and when they gave it to me all I said was "Thank you God!" I could care less the rationale. It was a huge blessing!
So there you have it. In the words of J. Moss, I'm not telling you what I read. I'm telling you what I know.
God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think! (Eph. 3:20) There, I finally quoted a scripture :)
What I know for sure makes me more than willing to sing praises unto God. Most of the songs that I write are simply songs of praise. I always thought I'd have something deep and pivotal to share with the world, but my testimony is simply God is good and faithful. I am content praising God for all that he's done in my life and I hope that's whats reflected when I lead P&W.
Blessings
