God is real, and yes, he’s good! Now, I know we aren’t supposed to pray to God like he’s some sort of magic genie, but let me tell you a story of this one time he immediately granted me a big fat — yes, I got you.
I’m telling you, there is no way one can dismiss this experience as a — coincidence. Prayer works.
Registering for My First Year in a Bachelor Program
When God led me to transfer from a local community college to Trinity Lutheran College, I had zero idea what I was doing regarding class registration.
So, I registered online for a 401 Psychology course called “Qualitative and Quantitative Research” without knowing anything about what it entailed. It covered so much information that it felt impossible to retain.
To this day, I have never felt as overwhelmed by a course as I did with that one (maybe tied with Biblical Greek). Fortunately, the duo of professors teaching the class must have understood because we were allowed to take one page of notes for each chapter’s test. And in my best Ross Geller voice, yes, they allowed it to be: “Front and Back!”
Mastering the Art of Tiny Handwriting
When I tell you that no one could pen as small and legibly in all-caps as myself, I mastered the art of itty-bitty writing. I’d read every chapter carefully while diligently documenting all the details my page could hold.
Sometimes, when the paper appeared it had no room left to give, I’d fill the margins until barely any white showed around the ink. Graciously, I was able to pass all of my tests with mainly — if not all — solid A’s.
A Colossal Reading Mishap
I’ll never forget the sheer panic that set in one week when they handed out the tests, and I realized I had read and taken notes on the wrong chapter. Somehow, I had skipped ahead.
My face felt flush as my heart sped up to an anxious beat. What had I done? I could not believe the misstep involved in skipping an entire chapter. Being it was mere minutes from test time; there was no time to read and vigorously scribble notes.
I realize for some of you, it may not seem like a big deal to fail a test. However, by the grace of God, I was on full scholarship, and if I didn’t keep my GPA way up, I’d forfeit tens of thousands of dollars toward my education that I didn’t have.
Praying for a Modern Day Miracle
Have you ever tried to make a deal with God? I have, and again, I know that isn’t the best method of prayer. But I didn’t know what else to do. Forgive me for not remembering my prayer verbatim.
It sounded a little something like this: “Dear Lord. Please help me. I don’t know what happened, but I need a miracle. You know I always read the chapters and do the work. Please help me pass this test. I promise that I will read the correct chapter tonight. Amen.”
Taking the Test
I couldn’t tell you a single question from the test today, but I fully remember guessing the answers to every single one of them. That test was the only one I took where I was certain I was failing with every uneducated guess. If Vegas were taking bets on the outcome, I’d confidently bet against me.
I had no idea what I was doing; I didn’t know the answers. So, I prayed fervently through the entirety of the test’s completion: “Please, Lord. You know I meant to do right. Show me grace. Show me mercy, and I will read this chapter tonight.” I was buzzing with anxiety when I handed it in and calmed myself slightly with my acceptance — It’s in God’s hands, now.
God Is Real
I got an A. Do you know the mathematical probability of my guessing on every — single — question on that test and still obtaining an A? I don’t. But I know that experience greatly strengthened my faith. God is listening. God is real. I felt him that day.
It’s pretty remarkable. Imagine it. The Lord answered my prayer favorably for a silly test grade. With everything happening in the world and its much more significant problems, it is a humbling experience to be heard in my comparatively trivial needs.
Matthew 21:22; ESV “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
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Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and Jesus.