Three times God gave me the same message

Three times God gave me the same message

Being still, resting and investing in time with God is a big challenge for me. This year I planned and wanted to really ‘find rest for my soul’ but I crashed into the New Year and was too busy. One morning in January I woke up early, before my husband and son were awake. I went downstairs to just ‘be’. A friend had sent me daily Bible notes on Matthew 11:28–30 for the day. The heading was ‘Rest for the soul’. I then looked at the Lectio app and it was on the same verse. Also, I was a day behind on the ten-day Bible study I am doing – and the one I looked at that day was on the same verses, with the heading ‘Rest for the soul’. Three times God gave me the same message from Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He is true to His word.

Perry May

50-year-old seeds

Last summer, my mum – a keen gardener – showed me some packets of Australian wildflower seeds she had that were nearly 50 years old. Years ago, her mother had brought them over from Australia on one of her visits, but they had never been opened. After 50 years there was no guarantee they would even grow, but Mum wanted to plant them and see. So she did, planting them in an old sink outside in her back garden. Soon enough, and to our amazement, the Everlastings started to sprout, then the seedlings grew and grew and ended up being over a metre high. After 50 years we couldn’t believe they could still become flourishing plants. I felt God speak to me; that these Everlastings are just like the seeds of a prayer, a dream or a calling. No matter how many years later you plant them, given the right conditions they will germinate and grow and become everything they were always intended to be. 

Alex

Recognising a ‘mother’s instinct’

My husband and I already had two beautiful boys and were completely content being a family of four. But God had other plans and we both felt very clearly that He was telling us we were to have a third child. Fast forward nine months, and our third son was born. He arrived healthy and strong, weighing a huge 10 pounds – a big, beautiful boy. Around twelve hours after his birth, as I drifted in and out of rest, I felt something wasn’t right, particularly with his breathing. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace as I alerted the midwives. I watched as they wheeled him out to another part of the hospital, then returned him, assuring me he was fine. This happened multiple times. Each time, a different doctor or midwife would bring him back and reassure us. Looking back now, I know that peace was the Holy Spirit. With no medical training at all, I just knew my baby wasn’t well. 

Suddenly, the panic button was pressed. Our beautiful, peaceful boy became seriously unwell. He was quickly sedated, and covered in tubes and wires. We were told he had a hole in his lung, pneumonia, Group B Strep and several other illnesses. The consultant asked us to name him, explaining that we would be transferring to a specialist intensive care unit within minutes. God gave both my husband and me the name Jacob. 

God spoke the name to me in such an intimate personal way. Jacob had a small band around his wrist with the word “Posy” on it. This name was incredibly sentimental to me. When I was five years old, I named my kitten Posy. Later, when my parents got a second cat, I named him Jacob. That wristband had nothing else written on it – just those letters. I still don’t know why it was there, but in that moment, God used it to speak to my heart, reminding me how much He cares for all of us and knows us so personally. He was with me when I was a child naming my pets and was the same God with me now. 

When we arrived at the neonatal unit, we knew God was with Jacob and, as we left each night to rest, we knew the Holy Spirit was surrounding him. After the first 24 hours, we felt led to shift our prayers toward the other babies around us – one little baby had been in her cot on the ward for nine months. Playing worship music quietly, nurses would comment how beautiful and peaceful the music was, as we quietly sung to the words over Jacob and the other babies. We had an entire army of Christians praying for Jacob’s complete healing. The updates we shared were encouraging and strengthened people’s faith. 

Day by day, we watched Jacob grow stronger as machines were switched off one by one. After ten days, we were finally allowed to bring our precious boy home. But on day eleven, he had bilirubin leaking into his blood, which can cause brain damage. We were sent urgently to King’s College Hospital in London after scans revealed a cyst on his liver that appeared to need surgery. I was terrified, but I knew God was with us as we arrived at the hospital. I couldn’t understand how we had gone through such a trauma and now we had to go back through it all again. 

Once in London, a full team of doctors reviewed his scans and planned the necessary procedure. The team included a top professor. During Jacob’s second scan, the professor studied the images and, in front of around ten medical professionals, declared that the lump had completely disappeared. They couldn’t explain what had happened. After thanking Jesus, I quickly asked if we could leave – and, to my amazement, they said: “Yes.” 

Today, Jacob is eight years old. He is medically well, with no complications whatsoever. Sometimes I read his medical notes and cannot believe how many illnesses his tiny body endured – some of which I don’t even recall being told at the time. We feel God has something big planned for his life. I do believe his birth trauma has shaped him. His behaviour can be challenging at times, and I am passionate about raising awareness of how trauma affects the brain, especially in babies. Unfortunately, this is not something often discussed in medical appointments. At one follow-up, a consultant told me that in some countries – Australia for example – ‘a mother’s instinct’ is actually a recognised medical term. I agree 100 per cent. A mother’s instinct – fuelled by the Holy Spirit.

Hannah

Finding the Father heart of God

I’ve been a Christian since I was six years old. I have always served God and, while I have made mistakes, my heart’s desire is for Him. However, I have always been able to identify with the sovereign God, but not the loving God. I am nearly 43 and God has done amazing things in my life over the years, but I have still struggled with the loving Father side. My attitude has been: “God can, but will He?” I think a lot of this feeling comes from unfulfilled earthly desires – the main one of being married. My mum met my dad when she was 14, so I grew up with this idea that you could meet the right person at a very young age, and now I am 42 and still haven’t met the right person. So that has been a massive running theme in my life. 

In 2025, for the first time in my life, I read the Bible from cover to cover. I had tried previously, and would get to February or March and give up. This time I stuck to it. I had help, as I used The Bible Recap app with Tara Leigh Cobble, and for the first time I actually saw God as a loving God, who is kind to His children and shows us mercy. His Father heart became real to me for the first time. My whole view of God changed through reading the Bible all the way through. The word is real, it’s alive and it changes lives when we actually apply ourselves and read it! 

Candice

What’s your story?

Testimonies are an important way of encouraging each other in faith and we’d love to hear your personal experiences of God – whether that’s a miracle story or Jesus standing with you in the storm. 

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