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I first gave my life to Jesus at a Billy Graham crusade in Melbourne in 1959. I really had no idea what I was doing at the time, or what it meant. But God did.

Fast-forward to the early 1990s, and I was working at a school in north-western Sydney. A colleague gave me a newspaper ad about an information night for a Bachelor of Nursing Degree. I went along to see what it was all about, much to the curiosity and surprise of some in my family.

I began the degree, never having dreamt I would go to university. By the grace of God, I graduated in 1995. Over the next 25 years, God gave me a new life beyond my expectations and fulfilled my childhood dream of working as a nurse.

The road has been tough but very rewarding. I have had opportunities to pray for, comfort, and speak encouragement to many of my patients over the years. My first position was in a small private hospital in Burwood, Sydney, which taught me everything — God’s grace again. He was always beside me, even thought I couldn’t see it.

Six years after my initial studies, I completed an anaesthetic diploma. I prayed about how to get experience with my new qualification, and after attending an anaesthetic conference, I received an answer to my prayer, in the form of a letter from a nursing agency in London. It read, “We can get a job for you.” I thought, “Oh Lord, is this where I’m going?” After confiding with anaesthetic doctors, I decided to embark on this journey.

In late 2003, after much organisation, I left Sydney, heading for an NHS hospital in Watford, London. During those first six months I saw many events — including some significant attacks from the enemy. I was blessed to be at a church whose pastor allowed me to ring him even at night if these attacks occurred, and he would pray with me.

A little over a year later, I decided I’d like to gain some experience in the private sector, and I was to experience another miracle. I obtained a position at a private hospital in beautiful Hampshire. One night when I was driving home from church in Southampton, I pulled over on the side of the road to find something in my car. I was well off of the road, but I had my drivers door open. All of a sudden, I could feel gravel hitting my legs. I looked up and saw a car flash past me, heading for the bushes!

The car came to a stop and the driver got out to ask if I was okay. “Yes,” I answered. “What happened?” He said he didn’t know — but that he had nearly hit me and had managed to miss me at the last second. I thanked him, and he continued on his journey.

To me, this was evidence of how protective the Lord is to His children. I could have been killed instantly, but somehow God steered that car past me without calamity or injury. I was shaking as I got back in my car, but I praised God all the way back home that night.

During my lifetime, I can truly say that God has been by my side through thick and thin, happiness and sorrow. It can be easy to not notice this, unless we take time to look back.

Like the poem Footprints in the Sand, when certain scenes in your life flash by, there are two sets of footprints: yours and the Lord’s. Then there are other scenes that flash by, and there’s only one set of footprints — and that is when the Lord is carrying you through your toughest times. We all experience times like these. However, Father God is always with us. He will never leave us or forsake us (see Joshua 1:5).

I returned to Australia in 2006. Now, 16 years later, the Father is still beside me, “opening doors that no man can shut, and shutting doors that no man can open” (see Isaiah 22:22). If there is one encouragement I can give from my walk with the Lord, it is this: if you have an open heart and are available, Father God can use you for whatever purpose He has for you.

“For the word of the Lord is right and true;
He is faithful in all He does.
The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of His unfailing love”.
—Psalm 33:4-5

[Photo by Jasmin Ne on Unsplash]