Divine Dialogue

By Ricardo Bacchus

Whether God says yes, no, or wait, He always answers our prayers. Three Columbia Union Conference members share stories on how God responded to their requests:

When God Said ‘Yes’

On a Sunday afternoon in Hagerstown, Md., I drove my daughters to a local park to play basketball. When I returned to the car, I noticed the passenger side window had been broken into and my purse stolen. Out of everything I lost, my phone was the most important to me.

My husband was on a trip in Wyoming, and since the thief had my driver’s license, which had my address on it, my daughters and I felt a sense of vulnerability and fear. So, we got on our knees multiple times.

Two nights later, while I was on my daughter’s phone praying with my sister, my husband texted: Mom’s phone has been found.

Apparently, a jogger found my phone a mile away from the park. Seeing that the pop socket had the Seventh-day Adventist logo on it, she called the nearest Adventist church—Hagerstown—and inquired if someone had lost their phone. The church’s administrative assistant contacted a local Adventist school board member—a person who just so happened to be on the same board as my husband. Upon receiving the phone from the jogger, the board member turned on the phone and a reminder popped up notifying that it was my brother-in-law’s birthday—a Paris family member. Recognizing the last name, the board member put two and two together and called my husband. My phone, indeed, had been found!

I don’t believe I would’ve been reunited with my phone had it not been for the Adventist logo on the pop socket—a gift my mom had received a year prior from her employer, the North American Division. Upon sharing this story with her, we believe that God orchestrated this miracle so that my family could see God in a new light—an active and present God, who is ever involved in our daily lives.—Michelle Paris, Willow Brook Church Member

When God Said 'No'

On December 15, 2020, I took my father to the hospital with COVID-19 symptoms. At the time, I didn’t realize that would be the last time I would talk to him face to face.

During his monthlong stay in the hospital, I prayed multiple times every day that God would heal him. My family, my church, we all prayed for the same thing, but his healing didn’t happen as we had hoped. As my father’s condition worsened, I realized the way I prayed started to change. I now started asking God to heal my dad, but only if it was His will.

After he succumbed to the disease, I was upset and angry at God. The world had become a scarier, sadder place for me. I had lost my father, my protector, my best friend, and I felt lost. I wondered why God would put my mother and me through this. I knew my parents wouldn’t be around forever, but this felt too soon and too sudden.

As time wore on, I dealt with my grief and was eventually able to understand why my initial prayers hadn’t been answered, and why, during my father’s last days, I had asked for God’s will to be done.

Just a few years earlier, I was living the life. I felt that whenever I asked God to help me or to make something happen, He had. For a time, I became accustomed to having God deliver miracles. It was easy to stay faithful and grateful to God when He repeatedly said yes. I learned to trust Him because what He wanted for me was exactly what I wanted for me.

Prior to my father getting COVID-19, he had already been sick and suffering. Today, I understand that God wanted my father to have relief from that. God’s will was for me to learn to trust that He will always be with me. In turn, I am now able to help friends and family who have lost their parents.—Carlo Sanchez, Washington Spanish Bilingual Church Member

When God Said 'Wait'

My husband and I started dating at Takoma Academy and got married nine years later. Three years into our marriage, in 2008, we wanted to start a family. We got pregnant quickly, but sadly experienced our first miscarriage. With high hopes, we tried again, but the second time ended in a miscarriage as well. After our fourth miscarriage, we began intrauterine insemination, but after three rounds, we experienced yet another loss. But we kept praying.

Then, it happened, or so we thought. Our baby made it to his first trimester—formed with fingers and toes. Grievously, we delivered our Angelo at home at 12 weeks—a stillbirth. This was the most painful loss of all.

Year after year of disappointment, in 2019 we tried in vitro fertilization (IVF). Prayerfully, we began our newest journey to parenthood again. Unfortunately, this time was no different. After three cycles of IVF, we miscarried on all three of them.

Determined and hopeful, we decided to try one last time through my sister-in-law’s generous offer. She would carry our baby to birth. We put our faith in God. If He didn’t want it to happen, it wouldn’t happen.

On March 25, 2022, our dream of becoming parents came true! By God’s grace, I am now the mother to my miracle baby girl, Matea Skye. We may never understand why we had to wait, but we trust that this was God’s plan. He was always with us, every step of the way. And our precious daughter was worth the wait.—Wenbe Solis-Lunsford, Filipino-American Capital Church Member