No ordinary fight

Sezim was surrounded by angels. No, really. She could see them.

Just a few moments before she had been at her wit’s end. She was studying late into the night for four different exams. But she wasn’t feeling hopeful. In her country, if you wanted a good mark, you had to bribe the professor. It was something Sezim had become really uncomfortable with since she converted to Christianity. She knew it was dishonest, but it felt impossible to go against the grain. How could she ever become a doctor if she wouldn’t play by the rules of the system? But she was convicted by the Holy Spirit. She decided she would rely on the knowledge in her brain rather than a bribe.

The last time she had refused to pay her professor, he had gotten angry. He had even tried to fail her. He told her that she could be kicked out of the university if she did not pay him. Her mother, who was not a Christian, didn’t understand either. She questioned, why can’t you be like everyone else? Still, Sezim decided she would rather honor God with her studies.

But now it was midnight. The sheer load that Sezim had to revise was exhausting. So, she had put her head down to rest. But when she opened her eyes, she saw something amazing.

An angel walked out of the wall. Then another. And another. Soon she was surrounded by huge angels. She stared up at them, but they didn’t look down at her. Instead, they looked away, like they were watching for something. Like they were guarding her. Then she heard a voice,

Sezim, don’t worry. God will protect you.

She blinked, trying to wake herself up. But she wasn’t sleeping.

The next day, Sezim took her exams. Later, she went to get her marks from the professor who had threatened her. She discovered that she had passed every single one of her courses. In fact, her scores were as high as the students who had paid a bribe. God had taken care of her.

For many students, paying bribes to professors is a normal part of academic life. Students who become Christians must decide if they will continue to pay into the system or have faith that God will carry them through their studies. Pray with us for the students who don’t want to be “just like everyone else.”

Pray that they will place their faith higher than what their professors or even parents want them to do.

Pray for the witness of students facing corruption on campus, that they will be encouraged even when it is hard.

Pray for Sezim, who is about to enter the medical profession. Pray that she will continue to be a light in her field.