To God be the glory! Great things He has done…I say that with no cliche.
By the compelling of the Holy Spirit, I’d like to share this profound testimony of an experience I had recently during a semester of my tertiary studies. It is my hope that it encourages you to keep pursuing not just good grades in school, but also righteousness, and ultimately a life committed to trusting in the Lord.
I am a second-year student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in technology. In September 2024 (semester one), I was doing six courses, but there was one in particular with which I struggled. I made all efforts by attending the classes, watching the recordings, and completing the relevant coursework, as I knew finals were fast approaching. When exam time arrived, I confidently prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to help me like He always does.
SEARCHING FOR ONE MORE MARK
Despite struggling with some of the questions on the exam paper, I finished believing that God had helped me enough to score at least 25/50 on the paper, as I already had 43/50 for the coursework. The result was a surprising FE (failed exam), having obtained a grade of 24/50.
Worry set in as I needed to maintain a specific GPA for my scholarship, and moreover, this course was mandatory for my major. But the Holy Spirit countered with calm, reassuring me to remain thankful, as I would not be losing my scholarship, and neither would I repeat the year. So, in good faith, I asked my lecturer to revisit my paper, as I would have needed only one mark to pass. His response was a discouraging admission that he had already unsuccessfully reviewed my paper in search of that one redeeming mark, and if he now granted me a pass, it would not be of integrity. He also shared that remarking by a third party was likely to be unfruitful, as he had never seen anyone’s grade change from what he had initially given.
In light of this, my only (remaining) option was to sit another examination in which I was expected to respond orally in the presence of two professors. With this exam, the highest available grade is a C, which is 50% by university standards. I humbly took the opportunity to register, as passing meant I would avoid resitting the course. I vividly remember thanking the Lord for providing this opportunity, and as I prepared for it, my prayer was, “Lord, if I’m not going to pass, let the oral exam be pushed to another date.”
Guess what?! The exam was postponed three separate times!
On each occasion, I had studied hours upon hours, but instead of being frustrated, I thanked the Lord for the delay as I remembered my prayer.
D-DAY!
Monday, May 5, 2025, was supposed to be D-DAY!
As I prayed and continued with my preparations during the afternoon prior to the exam, I felt peace descend on me and I began thanking the Lord for allowing me to pass even though I hadn’t done the exam yet. This uncommon peace of mind stood strong in my heart, quenching the fear that my scholarship and collegiate education were both dependent on me passing this course.
On D-Day, I entered the lecturer’s office, and to my surprise, he was the only person there. He explained that he had tried to get another colleague to join him, but an emergency detained that person. Likewise, lecturer no. 3 cancelled at the last minute!
NOT ONE BUT TWO
He further shared that when he took up the exam paper that I had previously completed, he felt led to review it, only to discover two marks he had accidentally omitted. This meant my marks increased to 26/50, and my final grade for the course was a B.
For the entire semester, I ended up with 4 As and 2 Bs, which qualified me for a spot on the Dean’s Academic Commendation List. All glory to God, through whom all things are possible!
Honestly, all this left me speechless as I witnessed firsthand that the Lord is merciful to those who trust and believe what He speaks to them.
I must say that during this particular season I felt that God was testing me to reveal how I would respond when things aren’t going as I expected. Do I respond with fear of the unknown? Or do I have the faith to place it entirely into the hands of the Lord?
As I reflected on the entire season of dealing with this situation, I said, “Lord, You allowed me to go through all of this testing as a way to really prove to me that You are still in control of my education, life, and family.”
Moreover, I felt compelled to share this testimony, as I know a lot of persons are doing or have done exams, and I want to encourage them to continue trusting the Lord with all their heart and allow Him to direct their path. Oftentimes, God would have us experience different seasons of testing to allow us to see that He is ordering our lives according to His good will.
Regardless of the situations you might face, may you allow Him to lead you in all things, even at school.
