Look Up, Lift Up 🙌 ✍️

Oh no! How can I make both ends meet?

That was the heavy question weighing on my heart back in 2016.

It was when my husband’s offshore company went bankrupt and their ships were sold. Forced to lay off workers, Chris was included on the list. Thank God, my husband isn't picky when it comes to work. To keep up with the bills, he immediately applied as a lineman for PLDT. Even though he was overqualified, he was hired right away.

His basic salary then was ₱14,000 a month, which was not enough to cover our necessities. For almost a year, I had to regularly withdraw from our savings until only $1,000 remained. With the exchange rate hovering around 40 pesos at the time, we only had about ₱40,000 left to our name. Having kids who were still studying only added to the strain on our already tight budget.

Why am I sharing this?

During my quiet time today, I was reading Isaiah 37. In this passage, King Hezekiah receives a threatening letter from the King of Assyria. Instead of panicking, he goes to the house of the Lord and spreads the enemy's letter before Him. And guess what? That is exactly what I did back then. Seeing our bank balance drop to $1,000, I went up to our bedroom, closed the door, and knelt before God. With tears welling up in my eyes, I held our bankbook up toward heaven. Showing it to God, I prayed, "Lord God, this is all the money left to us. I don’t know when You will allow Chris to get back into his field. I pray it's soon, but if not yet, please just take care of us."

YES! A resounding yes! (As in I will rescue you from your enemy, Sennacherib, the King of Assyria). That is God's answer to King Hezekiah’s desperate cry. And that is how God met me too in my moment of total helplessness. Broken and with nowhere else to turn, I felt His overwhelming presence break the silence, whispering directly to my spirit: "Yes, Lia. I am your Provider and I will make a way to sustain you in your needs."

On the very night of that "bankbook prayer," a miracle dropped into my husband’s inbox. An agency emailed him out of nowhere, an offshore firm was looking for a seismic technician, and they were specifically eyeing him for the role. Here is the most striking part: there were no grueling interviews, and no nerve-wracking exams. The job was already his. All they needed to verify was that his passport, medical certificates, and training clearances were still valid and not yet expired. In an instant, our desperation turned into answered prayer.

Once they confirmed that all his papers were up to date, lo and behold, he was asked to report immediately by the agency and was given his flight schedule. By God's mercy and grace, this blessing continues to this day. And the rest, as they say, is history... or rather, HIS ST0RY of goodness and faithfulness☝

When God moves, you will be amazed! You will be compelled to shout, 'Praise the Lord!' If you are in a desperate situation today, follow Hezekiah’s example. Facing an unpaid Meralco or water bill with zero cash? Raise it to the Lord. Is your bank account empty? Bring it before Him. Crushed by a mountain of debt? Lay it at His feet. Write your worries on a piece of paper, step into your room, and spread them out before the Lord. Bring your harsh realities to His throne. What God did for Hezekiah and for my family, He will do for you. Trust Him, have faith, and watch Him see you through. And the only way to keep this faith alive is to constantly remind ourselves of His promises. So, friends, let's make it a daily habit to read our Bibles. Let's not pass through this life without anchoring our hearts to the beauty of God's Word. 📖❤️

Praise be to the ever-Living God, the source of wisdom🙏