I believe that the strength of a home is largely related to the choice of who we marry.  I do not know how far I would have gone in life if I had not married my wife. I have always been thankful of the fact that God did not give me the kind of person I wanted but gave me the person I needed.

Initially, my wife could not understand when I always convert our needs into prayer no matter  how little and trivial the problems were. Afterwards when the needs were met in unusual ways, she would remember that we actually did pray for it.



One of those incidents happened when we had a need for a car. I was not happy with the fact that we had to travel several miles to church, often combining foot and bus travels. By the time we get to church, we would most times be late and tired. The return journey was another experience entirely. This was not made easy by the fact that we had two young children, who most times would be asleep in our arms as we make our way home.

One day, taking a cue from a teaching from the life of  Jabez,  I got intrigued by the short but powerful request he made to God.

"Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, 'Oh that Thou would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast [territory], and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!' And God granted him that which he requested." 1 Chron 4:1

I thought to myself,  “If God could grant Jabez’s request and He is the same today, yesterday and forever, surely I can make my own request to God and expect Him to answer”.

Thus began the consistent and fervent prayer for a car. Initially my wife could not understand why I would be praying for a car at a time when we could barely have enough to eat. However, she went along with me. One year later, God granted that prayer in a most unusual way.

It was the beginning of a new year and as I prayed for the needs, including a car, I felt hollowness in my spirit and I could not understand why. I wondered and searched inwards for any sin I had not confessed to but found nothing.  I later felt a quiet voice asking, ‘Why pray for something that has already been given to you?’ I began to praise God immediately, although  there was no physical indication that it could happen anytime soon.

A flurry of events happened within the next couple of weeks after that prayer experience and one Saturday, we had the car delivered to us.

On that Sunday, as we drove to church, I glanced at my wife in the passenger seat, her eyes were closed in contentment, no doubt thankful to God for giving us our own means of transportation to church.

Since then, we have trusted God for many things and He has never failed to answer. He has met our needs in ways we could never have imagined. As each prayer is answered, our experience in Him grows and we are able to trust Him for more.

I dare say that all that God did for me was not a function of how good I am. It is a function of how faithful He is. One thing I have noticed is that He not only answers our prayers but also changes us with each experience we have. Oftentimes, when people praise my conduct, I tell them, ‘You would not have come to within 7 feet of me without God’s influence in my life’.

If you have any doubts about God’s ability to answer your prayers, let my life’s testimony be a confirmation to you that God is still in the business of answering prayers. He knows what you need even before you ask Him.

Sometimes it may look as if nothing is happening and you are about to give up; I have been there before and I can categorically tell you that as long as you do not give up, God will not give up!

(c) Biblepraise Fellowship Online

Steve Popoola is the editor of Biblepraise Newsletter and the owner of Biblepraise Fellowship Online at http://www.biblepraise.org. He lives in London where he works as an IT professional. He serves in the ministerial team of his local church as well as in the music ministry. He is the Moderator/Editor of Biblepraise Newsletter. He can be reached through His email address,steve@biblepraise.org