DR. ISAAC AFARA (AN AMAZING AMAZING TESTIMONY YOU CANNOT MISS GETTING SOME INSPIRATION FROM) When our idea of blessing falls short of God’s grand plan to bless us beyond our imagination Coming from a humble background and a great family, I have experienced God’s faithfulness in many ways. I graduated as the top student in my high school and had one of the best year 12 (WAEC) results in the country. Also, by God’s grace I was among the very few graduates in my high school set to pass the competitive entrance exam into university immediately after high school. These were all God’s grace and favour at work.
After a certain event (a testimony for another day), which was a turning point in my life, I decided to invest my time and resources to serve God in the campus fellowship. Despite the difficulty and rigour of studying Electrical Engineering, I was involved in the ushering unit and spent a significant portion of my time in university serving God, from my first year to the very day I graduated. Many times I felt discouraged, but serving God was more important to me than being involved in any club or society. Sometimes I would see my class mates heading to study rooms while I was on my way to fellowship to serve God, and the thought would pop up in my mind “are you here to study or to serve God, stop wasting your time!” But I was convinced that sowing my time in the Kingdom was worth it. Of course I created time to study (when others were out partying or clubbing). While serving, I was praying and asking God for a breakthrough. Like every undergrad, I wanted to graduate with a first class, so this was one of the focus of my “breakthrough” prayers. After almost 5 years of prayer and occasional fasting, God sent a word to me through a friend I had not seen or spoken to for months. He came to campus specifically to tell me the message, he said to me “God said He will surprise you”, just those 6 words and that was it. Because I had been praying for a first class, I was convinced that the “surprise” had to mean an answer to my prayer for first class. But when the time to graduate came, I finished a grade lower than first class. I was devastated and I questioned God. After a day of being disappointed and depressed, I received strength and said to myself, “it really doesn’t matter, God still remains God no matter what I go through”. I knew at the back of my mind that His word never fails, Jesus said “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Luke 21:33 NIV)”. So I held on to God’s word. A year later I had the opportunity to travel to Australia to visit my sister, then decided to undertake my postgraduate studies. I didn’t have the money for tuition (it was a lot of money), but I trusted God. My plan was to complete a doctorate degree, but I knew most universities will require me to complete a masters degree first. So I applied to a number of universities and got in contact with several professors in my field of interest. Long story short (miracles in between), one of the professors was keen for me to come do research with him and he said I can skip the masters if I want and go straight to my doctorate study. This was very rare, but it was the beginning of God’s blessing and fulfilment of the word He gave me 2yrs earlier. Then I was given full scholarship, which covered my tuition fees and living allowance throughout the period of my doctorate study. Immediately I got the news of the admission and scholarship, I broke down in tears, it was too much blessing to digest in one day. Then the Holy Spirit said to me, “I told you I would surprise you!”. Indeed, God keeps His word. This scripture verse came rushing into my mind, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9 NIV)“. My idea of blessing was obviously nothing compared to God’s grand plan to bless me beyond my imagination. A few years later, after completing my doctorate degree with several university awards and recognitions (many miracles and testimonies in between), God said "I’m still not done surprising you!”. One thing I have learnt so far in my christian journey is that God’s faithfulness never fails and His word will always come to pass. Whether it’s a word specifically sent to you or a promise in scripture, hold on to it in faith and be sure that God will honour His word. One of my best scripture verse is “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11 NIV)”, it is a reminder and an assurance that if God says it (prophecy or promise in the bible), He will do it, in fact He has to do it because His word cannot fall to the ground. Sometimes God needs us to hold on to Him in faith, especially in seemingly impossible situations. He is eagerly waiting to bless us.
Regards, Isaac Afara, PhD.
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