God answered my husband’s specific prayer requests

Door lock fixed

A few weeks ago, I spent the night alone in a new house. Usually, my husband locks the front door, but, as he was away, I did it. I did not realise I was only supposed to lock the top Yale lock, and not the main key lock, as it was broken. The next day when I came to leave the house, I realised it was broken, as the lock was completely stuck and would not turn. I went through my options: call an expensive locksmith, or go through the back door and leave the key somewhere for my husband. I realised those solutions weren’t going to work as I was in a hurry, and going to be away for two nights. Suddenly I remembered a time when I was single, and my parents sit-on lawn mower broke. I knew the solution, but was not strong enough to fix it. I prayed: “Lord, I don’t have anyone stronger than me to help me with this, so please will you help me!” I attempted to fix the problem, and, amazingly, the band clicked back on with ease. I knew it was miraculous as I had tried to do the same thing before and hadn’t been able to. So, remembering this, I turned to the broken lock, and prayed: “Lord, it says in Psalm 46 you are an ever-present help in times of need…I need your help! I know you can open this door, so please fix this lock.” With trepidation and little faith, I turned the lock, and it opened with ease!  

Jemimah

God answered my husband’s specific prayer requests

My husband, myself and our two daughters went to Ghana about 21 years ago. I saw how people managed their properties, and how they waited until they had enough money to do their renovations. When I came back home to Cape Town, I knew I had to be grateful for what I had, as I had got into the habit of complaining about what I didn’t like in our house. I prayed the Lord would just make me happy where we were, and with the way our house was. Four months later our house burned down, from a lamp being blown over onto a duvet. The geyser exploded and ripped the roof off and we lost everything. We couldn’t stay in the house, and our church life group came round to help us. One of them asked: “What can we pray for?” My husband asked for five things: a house available immediately to rent. He asked for it to be fully furnished, near our girls’ school, that we would still be able to cycle to school and that the price range would be what the insurance would cover. I thought it was excessive, but he said: “Gail, we have lost everything, we may as well not limit what we can ask of God.” Within 24 hours we had four of those things, but the house available was more expensive than what the insurance would pay. Then the agent told the owners our situation, and they were happy to give us the house for the figure the insurance would cover. So, within 36 hours we had all five things. 

In the midst of devastation and utter loss, God was so specific. We could give an audacious list, and he provided. I had asked God to help me be satisfied with what we had, then experienced loss – and then abundant provision. Because there was so much devastation and the floors were ruined we were able to replace the ugly floors, and smooth off the bumpy walls and scrappy windows and build a beautiful house. So, in the end God helped us renovate the house. In the pain of it all, he thoroughly blessed us.

Gail

Hearing the Holy Spirit for the first time

Twenty one years ago I walked into the newly opened Wishaw General Hospital in Lanarkshire in labour with our second child. It was slightly chaotic but within an hour or so I was being monitored. A lovely midwife came to check on me and was immediately concerned by the tracing of our baby’s heartbeat. She called the consultant, who didn’t seem overly concerned so a few more hours passed by until, at around 2am, the consultant came to see me and shouted at the top of his voice: “I want an anaesthetist in 30 seconds.” I had a prolapsed cord which, thankfully I didn’t know at that time, is an absolute emergency in childbirth, endangering the life of both mother and baby. As the consultant and midwife ran with me on the trolley down the corridor to theatre I did the only thing I could and, as I clasped my hands to pray, I very clearly heard the voice of the Holy Spirit saying: “I’ve been with you all this time, I’m not going to leave you now when you need me.” I turned to my husband at the door of the operating theatre, who had turned ashen white, and said: “Everything is going to be fine,” but there was no time for me to explain further.

I woke up a few hours later in special care with a photo of our boy in his incubator fighting for his life downstairs in the special care baby unit. My husband, Frank had been to see him and the nurses had asked us to give him a name so we called him David. The following day I was wheeled down in my bed to see him in special care, and the next day he came up to a cot next to my bed. A week later we both came home. 

There is no doubt hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit that first time took my faith to a new level. It taught me these three things: never underestimate the power of prayer; our living God is still doing miracles today and Jesus came to the earth for our salvation. He has great plans for every day of our lives if we will just make the time and space to seek and surrender to his will. 

Wilma

Healed of alcohol abuse

I first drank when I was nine and a half years old. I wanted to forget the abuse that was happening to me. Initially I stole alcohol from the drink’s cabinet at home. At 13, I gave my life to Jesus, but was still drinking. At first I was drinking glasses of wine then when I got older it was cans of beer, and eventually bottles of wine. I would drink a bottle a day. I did have a 17-year gap as my husband John stopped, and said I had to stop if wanted to stay with him. I still had the desire to drink, but I also needed to stop for myself, not for anyone else plus I needed Jesus completely, not just part-time. I renewed my relationship with Him after John died and finally surrendered my life fully to Jesus on the 7 June 2023 when I was 41. It was like God clicked his fingers and I felt the whole desire to drink alcohol go. He is my desire now. 

I do stay away from events like parties, where I know people will be drinking in front of me, as I don’t want to be tempted. The verse from Philippians 4:13 [NKJV]: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, encourages me every day. My husband died four years ago and that is my favourite verse ever now. I have it on a T-shirt to remind me. To anyone in an addiction, I would suggest getting counselling to get to the root of the problem. Also forgive others and yourself – and know that God loves you; he can set you free.

Claire

What’s your story?

Testimonies are an important way of encouraging each other in faith and we’d love to hear your personal experiences of God, whether that’s a miracle story or Jesus standing with you in the storm. 

Email us: womanalive@premier.org.uk

Please include your first name with your correspondence – but do let us know if you want to share anonymously. Entries may be edited for length and clarity.