My Birthday Prayer

Usually, birthdays aren’t typically a big deal for me. I don’t usually ask for much, and I tend to just thank God for another year and bask in the joy that comes on the day. Therefore, in lieu of stating the obvious, my birthday in 2020 was very different than previous years. Thus, for my 23rd birthday, I felt led to ask for something from my family for my special day. On October 5th, 2020, I was talking to my mother and cousin about my birthday request. All I asked for was prayer that I get a full-time job by the end of October. 

I was set to graduate college in a little over two months, and enter the “real world,” and I can fully admit that I was extremely scared. I had friends who had graduated in May of 2020 that were still looking for employment, and I was trying everything for that not to be me. I was applying to jobs left and right, connecting with new people in LinkedIn, and making connections so that I could get my resume out there. It seemed like I was applying for tons of jobs each week, and they were skipping over my resume.  

Although I felt very discouraged, I kept applying because I knew there was something out there for me. That same afternoon that I asked for prayer, I received a phone call in reference to a job interview not even an hour later. I’ve always known prayer works and is a strong tool. But in that moment, I knew God just wanted me to explicitly sit there and ask Him to bless me, instead of just expecting Him to do so. I was asking God for a job, but I don’t think I was really, really asking Him for one. I think that was my issue at the time. I felt like I had experience, and I deserved a good-paying job because I put in work to get one, and that any job would be lucky to have me. All of which may very well be true, but at the end of the day, I needed to check myself and remember that God is in control of all of that. I had my interview the next day and was offered the position a few days after. Over three weeks before my “deadline”, God blessed me tremendously.  

It was much more than just a job. I started to understand shortly after I started working. God was (and still is) so many steps ahead of me, and I am so thankful and honored that He heard my prayers and that He continues to bless me. I am thankful for the job of course, but ultimately, He removed so much fear and anxiety that I had about post-graduation in a matter of days. That is powerful, and absolutely incredible. God blessed me in many ways in 2020, and I’m grateful the most that He decided to keep me covered and protected.