Faith Story from a Skyliner
I work in a government hospital. When I gave birth in early June this year, it was my desire to take extra leave on top of my maternity leave to spend more time at home with my baby. I submitted my leave application but did not receive an official yes or no answer. We waited and prayed but as the number of COVID cases in Sabah rose higher and higher, I felt the chances of getting my leave approved got lower and lower. Every hand in the hospital was needed on deck to battle COVID. Who in their right mind would approve my extra 2 months leave application?
I spent many nights wrestling with God in my worry. I didn’t feel it was safe to leave my 3 month old in childcare during the pandemic. But maybe God wanted me to let go and trust Him to take care of him while I worked? Or should I instead have faith that God could do the impossible and get my leave approved? Which should I pray for – more surrender or more faith? Many conversations with God happened. Some nights I surrendered and said that even if my leave is not approved God, You know best. Other nights I declared by faith that surely I can tell my Heavenly Father the desires of my heart and believe He can work wonders!
Interestingly, my baby went through a phase where he suddenly didn’t like baths and would cry and scream during bath time. In order to distract him and stop him from crying, when I finished bathing him I would tell him “Done” but I would sing it repeatedly to the tune of the opening part of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. One day as I did it again, I felt Holy Spirit tell me, “You know that word is not just for your baby, but for you – “DONE. It is done”. But I wasn’t sure if I had heard God correctly. What did “Done” in my context mean anyway? Did it mean that my leave was approved?
During one of the Connect Group meetings, my friend Angeline shared how speaking in tongues helped her pray. That reminded me I should spend more time praying in tongues when I didn’t know what I should pray for in my situation.
Then one Saturday recently, when I was rocking my baby to sleep and praying in tongues quietly under my breath, God spoke to me. He reminded me how I had multiple bleeding episodes during my pregnancy, including a misdiagnosis by an obstetrician-gynaecologist. Through it all, my prayer always was despite the bleeding, the turmoil, the work stress in the hospital during COVID dan lain-lain lagi, God would keep my baby at peace and undisturbed inside my womb. Indeed, throughout my pregnancy I had the peace that His Presence would shelter my baby. God spoke to me, and said that the way He had kept my baby undisturbed inside my womb is the same way He would shelter him and keep him undisturbed outside of my womb. Instantly I understood that God was saying despite COVID battles getting worse and worse at my workplace, my leave will be approved and my baby can remain at home undisturbed in the midst of this pandemic.
The next day, my zone leader Rachel texted me to ask if there was any news about my leave application. Before replying her, I opened the online system to check – and it was DONE, as God had said it would be! My leave was approved just the day before on Saturday, when God spoke to me.
God has done a miracle for me in approving my leave extension despite the odds! And not only has He done the impossible, but He has also gone the extra mile to give me the assurance that He will shelter my baby so I do not need to worry anymore. I cannot express how real and personal our God is – He who holds the universe in His hands yet would stoop down to speak to a mum as she struggles to bathe her baby.