"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11
In 2020, during the peak of Covid 19, my daughter's internship ended. She was home and desperate for a job. I could see her deteriorating day by day. We were praying to God for Him to open a door for her. To us, it seemed impossible because many people were losing their jobs. It was as if we had forgotten that God can do anything regardless of the situation. One day, while I was at work, I received a phone call from my daughter telling me she had been called for an interview at one of the government departments. I was so happy that God had finally come through for her at such odd times. We started praying for God to give her the job if it was His will. She returned from the interview smiling, but when I asked her how it had gone, she said it was okay but with sadness on her face. I assured her that if the job was hers, no one could take it away. Over a month later, they called her for a second interview. We were so surprised. From that day, I started praying like I had never done before. I claimed God's promises as found in the story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, especially the last part of verse 15, which says, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed […], for the battle is not yours, but God’s." Indeed, this battle was not ours; we needed divine intervention for my daughter to succeed.
She went for this second interview, and again, she came back smiling. The interview was okay, but the computer froze in the middle of the test. Thanks to God, who fought battles for His children, she was given another chance alone to do the test. I think that was when God changed the whole thing; the errors she had made were corrected. Every day, she waited to receive a phone call from the department. We concluded that she did not get the job and agreed that it was not hers. She started applying to other places. One day, while I was at work again, I received a phone call from her excitedly telling me she had been shortlisted for a third interview. I was so happy and surprised at the way God works. I knew that God was in this.
After this interview, there was another long depressing wait and as people of the flesh, we accepted that the job was not hers so she must just move on. Little did we know that our ways are not His ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts. My daughter was called for the last and final interview, this time on Zoom.
I was at home that day, as well as her 9-year-old autistic son. We were so worried that the boy would cause too much distraction during the interview. We were relieved, however, when we learned that the interview would start at 8 am because he would be asleep. On the day of the interview, they called to inform her that the interview would be moved to 10 am. We were so heartbroken because her son would be awake. What we didn't know was this was God's plan. The interview started; l tried to keep the boy locked in my bedroom. We played there, and I distracted him as much as possible. However, there came a time when he didn't want to play anymore, so I let him loose. I prayed that God would keep him calm. He met his mother, sat there, put his hand on the screen, and played. The focus of the panelists shifted to him. They started asking questions about him. The interview ended, and eventually, they called to inform my daughter that the job was hers! Oh, glory be to God! We were so happy, as a family, for the new blessing we had just received. God works in mysterious ways. While people were losing jobs, my daughter got a job.
After working there for some time, my daughter's boss told her why he hired her. He told her that she was not their first choice, but things changed when he saw her son and learned that he was autistic. In their office, there was a senior lady who had beautiful twins who were autistic as well, and he thought that they would cry on each other's shoulders. Yet, during the interview, l had tried to prevent the boy from being there. I remember Job 42:2 says, “I know that you can do everything, And no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You,” Yes, no one can stand in the way of the Lord!
Call to Action
Is there anything too hard for God? No! There is not. With men, it may be impossible, but not so with God. At times, when we think that it's over for us, this is where God shows His people that He is God and that there is nothing too hard for Him. As a people of God, we must learn to exercise our faith in Him and believe that He is ABLE.
All scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
