Godmothers With Lisa BevereShembull

When Connections Are Made 

I remember the moment I met Hosanna at a church where we were both ministering. I felt immediately drawn to her. I sensed there was something beautifully unique on her life that I needed to bless. As we worshipped alongside one another that night, a godmother connection was made.

After service, we exchanged numbers and almost as quickly as we met, she was off to minister at another church. Over the next few months, I lifted her up in prayer whenever she danced across my mind, and we occasionally texted.

Our heavenly Father makes these types of connections for a reason. Three months later, I had a bit more insight on why. Hosanna was about to head into a season of hardship when she was the victim of a trifecta of theft, treachery, and tragedy. The enemy was preparing to open a gap before her in the hope that it would swallow her up. 

Early the next year, while John and I were in Indonesia, I found myself tossing and turning in my hotel bed, praying for Hosanna. Actually, it felt like a battle. I called her as soon as I was back stateside. I had no idea what she had been through, and it wasn’t until much later that she shared her story with me.

In that short span of time, she had been lied about, stolen from, and physically assaulted by a pastor. On one occasion, as she sat on her couch watching television for a straight week—feeling hopeless, defeated, and ready to throw in the towel—her eyes were drawn to my book, Without Rival, which reminded her of the fire she once lived by. 

My call came just moments after she picked up the book. My words to her were direct: “I have no idea what is happening in your soul, Hosanna. But I am calling to tell you . . . there is a real battle going on. You have to fight!”

Our conversation sparked life and gave her the courage to keep moving forward. The enemy was trying to break her and get her to quit when actually she was on the verge of a breakthrough. When I called, the lie was exposed for what it was, and the gap was filled. She opened her heart and dared to respond to hope. That’s the power of a godmother–goddaughter connection.