He Won’t Fail: A Journey of Trusting God Through Exams

This is long overdue, but I noticed you posted a status about faith over fear, and I decided now is the time to speak up and share my testimony.

On the 26th of April 2023, I began my second professional medical exams as an undergrad. Having sat one previously, I was aware of the mental and physical strain such exam places on the student, but I never could have envisaged the storm I was about to go through.

Months prior to the examination I had started preparing –naturally –so as to cover the wide scope of all I was expected to know. During that period, we students were still going to school and expected to handle other academic and non-academic responsibilities, so there was a lot on my plate. 

Come two months to the examination, study started on a new level. But I noticed my recall wasn’t what it used to be. Information kept slipping past me like water through a basket. This slowed me down considerably, as if the workload wasn’t tedious enough on its own. Around that same time, I received a word from the Lord. He gave me an anchor scripture, Isaiah 43:2, 6 and 13, alongside beautiful words (I will walk with you; I will hold your hand. The flood will not sweep you; the fire will not burn you). I knew these words were my shield, and prayed with them often as I studied.

About a week before the exam my family fell sick. Every single one of them: mother, father and siblings simultaneously. It was so bad my dad could not speak to me for three days straight. I was filled with worry, as I was used to receiving quick answers to my prayers and had prayed for them and was not seeing results. I had to entreat a friend in the faith to pray with me that I might have peace of mind and a while after that everyone eventually got better.

Concurrently, I was becoming increasingly anxious concerning my forgetfulness. I had assumed it would pass with repetition but here I was a week to the day and less than 50% of the needed content was in my head. I became filled with anxiety, pressed upon me from all sides. My seniors had told me that this was arguably the hardest of the professional examinations in medical school. The class ahead of me had a 30% fail rate, some of which were very bright and unexpected students. The school was changing its system, past questions were proving useless, and the odds seemed stacked against me. 

In desperation I prayed for an AOC, hoping to cram and pour something out at least. I did receive one, consisting of about twenty topics. I even corroborated some with brethren. Happy that I knew what exactly to read and was no longer dealing with the entire scope of work, I calmed down a bit and focused on the selected topics.

Lo and behold –you guessed it –not a single topic came out. Not one out of twenty something, not even coincidentally. Distraught, I went back after the exam and cried to God and He told me two things: that He had not deceived me and that I should not give heed to deceiving spirits. See me, after I’ve already taken the first exam, just now hearing not to give heed to deceiving spirits!

Anyway, I proceeded to the practical exams the next day and all I can say is it was what it was. I had a hundred questions to answer across four subjects in three hours. I was just writing whatever I knew, hoping to God that He would do his thing. Then came the next written exam on a Friday, and that evening I met with my study group to review our answers in preparation for the following week’s orals, which had a pattern of being a repeat of the theory questions (it wasn’t this time. If only I’d known).

In summary, at the end of that meeting I was holding myself together by a thread. I had to calmly excuse myself and retreat to my quiet place of prayer where I cried my eyes out and prayed with all my heart not to fail. I had never experienced such tangible fear before. I was entirely distraught. A dozen scenarios played across my mind. How I would have to retake the year with my juniors. How I would explain it to my parents. The disappointment of my younger siblings. The pity or mockery of my classmates and teachers. I was terrified, absolutely. It was in the midst of that prayer, when I started asking God for the strength to maintain my faith in Him even if the seemingly inevitable occurred that I heard His voice out of the midst of the chaos.

“Have I failed you before?” he asked, almost angrily. I had to answer honestly. No, He never had. I realized I had no right to pray as I was praying. I was doubting His ability to do what He said He would. He had promised me success. He even specifically told me at a point that I would not be doing this twice. That night fear finally broke over me and I gained a stalwart heart to face my viva.

The following week went in the same fashion as the previous week: odd unprecedented questions, winging and cooking my way through answering, general troubles. But I was no longer afraid. I was resigned to letting God do God. 

The week after my exams finished, I had a family trip planned which I went on. Half my heart was up in the air wondering what it would be like to go vacationing and then find out I hadn’t made the cut. I thought of explaining that to my dad while I was enjoying his hard-earned money, and to my friends whom I had left at school. I tried my best to quench such thoughts and focus on the times God had come through for me before. 

Finally, there came a certain day in May when the matric numbers of those who had satisfied the examiners came out and lo and behold, my God did! I was so relieved I practically yelled. My whole family knew something was up. When I finished rolling on the floor and explaining my ordeal to them, they joined me to give thanks to Abba. And that, dear reader, is the story of how I was spared from shame. In the course of all of this I learnt some major lessons:

1. God is able. If He says He will, He will. Don’t sweat it.
2. Constantly reflect on the past miracles of God. God had come through for me severally concerning exams and tests, on countless occasions. Yet when the storm came, I forgot. It is very important to constantly bring to mind His mercies and blessings that we might have the faith to believe for more.
3. Surround yourself with a good network. We might not have gotten the AOC right, but I will always be grateful for my Christian friends. They spoke words of life to me in my moments of distress and opened the door to peace in my heart.
4. Surround yourself with Christian content. During this period Christian music was my go-to. There was a very timely release by Maverick City titled He Won’t/Firm Foundation that helped me greatly, amongst other songs.
5. Pray through the fear. Oh, if I had only done this sooner I’m sure the clouds in my mind would have dispelled for me to have better recall and cognition. Fear is poison. It has no positive effects, only negative. To give heed to fear is to give heed to Satan whispering in your ear. Always pray it through, and you’ll see that it’s just a smoke screen masking the path to God’s truth for your life.

This is the summary of my academic testimony. Thank you very much for the opportunity to share, I hope it blesses someone! 

Reach out to the team, if you want to share your testimony with us. Thanks!