a COVID-19 season career related testimony by Ivan Chan
9 March 2020.
I started a new job.
This was my story with God.
Sunday, 4 February
That morning, I was going through my 365 daily bible reading plan. The reading plan took me to the well-known story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 and how he faced three enemy kings who wanted to destroy Judah. During that difficult situation, Scriptures tell us that Jehoshaphat and everyone in Judah resorted to fasting and prayer. As they sought God, the Spirit of God came upon Jahaziel, a Levite who told the people, “Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by the mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out and face the enemy. Take your positions and stand still and watch God fight for you”.
When I read the scriptures that morning, I felt a jostle in my spirit. Faith rose in me that God was up to something. From the word, I believed in my heart that God was going to fight for me the coming week. Honestly, I thought it was just an encouraging story to meet the day to day life challenges for that week, but little did I know that God was going to lead me to a new job.
Interestingly, a recruiter had reached out to me a few days earlier on 31 January. The job description he shared to me was in my opinion ‘a perfect fit’. I was excited about the opportunity but didn’t know how or when the next steps would take place. On that 4 February Sunday evening, I told my family during our family devotion about Jehoshaphat. I said if God was going to fight for us, we did not need to ‘help’ God. We just needed to believe and obey.
Monday. 5 February.
10am. My phone rang. The recruiter called me to say, “Hey Ivan! I’ve arranged an interview with you with the hiring manager on Wednesday for 30 mins. Can you make it?”.
I stopped in my tracks. I knew in my heart that God was indeed fighting for me and organizing the situation as I didn’t attempt to reach the recruiter or push him for an interview.
“Yes”, I responded.
I told myself, just fold my arms and watch God fight for me.
Wednesday, 7 February.
2pm. I went for my 30-minute telephone interview. The hiring manager was a pleasant lady, and she asked me pointed questions about what I thought of the role. My answers were direct, and I could hear her mutter to herself in acknowledgement as she documented my answers. At the end of the 30 minutes chat, I was ecstatic when she told me she wanted me to progress further and wanted me to meet her management team.
Thursday, 8 February.
I was leaving the house early in the morning when I received an excited WhatsApp message. My recruiter said, “Hi Ivan. I got a message from the hiring manager at 1.00 am last night. She wants you to be interviewed by 4 of her team at 11am today. Face to face. Can you make it?”.
I quickly responded yes.
Wow, I thought. This was moving fast.
11am. I walked in to meet the company. After 2 hours of straight interviews, I watched and saw the situation unfold – the managing director gave me a verbal offer at the end of the interview! I was totally astounded that God had organized for me 5 interviews in a short span of 23 hours.
Friday, 9 February
8am. The hiring manager arranged for final discussions regarding the offer after receiving great feedback from yesterday’s interviews.
Monday, 11 February
2pm. I signed the offer letter exactly 3 working days from the very 1st interview on 7 February. In my opinion, it was not normal to be interviewed by 5 people, negotiate, and sign an offer within 3 business days. The number 3 was significant as a friend later commented that Jehoshaphat took 3 days to collect the spoils (treasures) from war!
God provided me a job during the COVID-19 pandemic. God can provide for all of us in any difficult season. The lesson is that we are sustained when we keep our eyes on Jesus and His Word.
A testimony of God’s power by Ivan Chan
31.05.2020
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