God displays His love through moments of pain and lack. Alyssa Bosch, one of our Victory group members from Lyceum of the Philippines University, experienced God’s ability to comfort and provide for His children in a challenging time.

 

As 2016 came to a close, my faith in God was tested, and it all started with a sharp pain in my jaw. I felt the ache for consecutive days, but I didn’t mind it at first. Thinking it was just a simple case, I observed it myself. However, I found out that the situation was more serious than I thought when I got a dental x-ray. The dentist told me that I have a big cyst in my jaw that required a complex operation in a hospital! I was so shocked that I ended up crying on my way home. I had fears for my future. How will God provide for me? I have to finish the required hours for my on-the-job training to graduate. Will the operation take a lot of time from me and cause me to be delayed? In spite of all my fears, I cried to God and asked Him to fulfill His will in my life. I prayed, “God, let this be a situation for me to know You more, and for You to be known through my life.”

 

. . . but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. (John 9:3, NIV)

I went to the clinic of another dentist days after, and he assured me that the operation is not life-threatening. He insisted that the going through the operation is an urgent matter because some parts of my jaw bone are consumed by the cyst. He also told us that the entire operation might cost around 150,000 Php!

I continued to pray and fast for healing, favor, and provision. My friends and family prayed with me too. As I continued to believe, God proved his faithfulness through orchestrating everything perfectly. He sent me to the right people in the right places at the right moments. An unexpected opportunity opened! My cousin referred me to a dental surgeon who was looking for a patient with a dental concern like mine for a case study for their group. They asked me if I wanted to participate and I agreed. When I was going through a treatment, I was worshipping in the dental chair, “Jesus, I will trust You. I know You never fail. I will trust You. I almost cried, not because of the pain, but for the reason that I know God is holding my hand throughout this journey. I thought they would only perform a procedure to condition my jaw for the actual operation. Little did I know, they already removed the cyst and even treated another dental issue! The events that followed surprised me even more. The cost of the operation was reduced from 150,000 Php to 6,000 Php, and the required two-week rest was shortened to a three-day rest! All my worries are gone!

I am grateful. I thank the generous team who performed the operation. I thank my family, relatives, and church community for praying, crying and believing with me. Most importantly, I am grateful to God for assuring me of His love. He is my Strength, my Provider, my Healer, and my Salvation. I lost count of the many times He performed miracles in my life!