My Promotion Testimony: Trusting God with the Wait

I Have Exciting News!

First of all, happy new month! I pray the month of May brings you promotion, growth, and answered prayers.

I got the news of my promotion from Sergeant (E5) to Staff Sergeant (E6) last month — and it officially became real today, May 1st!
The funny part? The email confirming it had actually been sent in March… I just didn’t see it until April.

I briefly mentioned this in my last YouTube video, promising I’d explain more — and here it is!

For those who don’t know much about the Army: when you see “Promotable” (P) in parentheses in front of your name on the Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army (IPPS-A), it usually means your promotion is near.
I had that (P) beside my name for almost a year. I kept hoping, I kept praying… and yes, I kept checking.

But while I was waiting, I didn’t sit around doing nothing.
I followed up with S1 (our human resources department) a couple of times — in person and by email — asking about my status. I was told last year October I needed to take the ACFT (Army Combat Fitness Test). Since I had been out of the Army and then came back in, I never had the chance to take it earlier.

The first ACFT I took was meant to be a diagnostic one — just to help me get familiar with the test before taking the official one. I was hoping it would count, but unfortunately, I failed the run, which meant I failed the entire event.
Was I sad? Absolutely.
Did I give up? Not a chance.

In January, I took the ACFT again — and this time, I passed.
By then, I wasn’t even stressing about promotion anymore.
And that brings me to the heart of today’s post:

Pray, do your part and leave the rest in God’s hands.

Last month during Battle Assembly, we had another ACFT, and I happened to be one of the Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) grading the soldiers taking it. We had arrived early to help set up.

While we were setting up, my commander saw me and said,
“Hey Ajape, did you get the email about your promotion?”
He smiled and added, “Congratulations.”

Meanwhile, I was standing there like, “Sir… what email?”

He could tell I was clueless and told me he had printed it out and would show me once we got back to the unit.
Still confused, I just shrugged and went on with the day.

Later that afternoon, he handed me not one, not two, but THREE copies of my promotion email — just in case I thought he was joking!

I was truly delighted.
And on my way home, I couldn’t stop thinking…

Why does God move the moment we stop trying to figure everything out ourselves?

I had prayed about this for so long, and at some point, I just gave up stressing about it.
Even when my mum would still mention it in her prayers, I secretly wondered why she was still praying about it.
Guess what? She prayed about it the night before I received the good news — when I had already mentally moved on.

Here’s what I’ve learned:
When you’ve prayed, when you’ve done your part, when you’ve shown up — that’s when it’s time to let go and trust God completely.

Worrying after doing all you can is like planting a seed and then digging it up every day to see if it’s growing.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Then just last week, I got another email from my unit — this one had all the S1 personnel in it — congratulating me again and officially informing me that I’ll be having my promotion ceremony during this May’s Battle Assembly.

Maybe you’re trusting God for marriage.
Maybe you’re believing for a child — or for healing.
Maybe you’re praying for a child who has gone off course.
Maybe you’re waiting for a job offer or a promotion at work.
Maybe you’re holding on for your immigration case that’s still pending.
Maybe you’ve been trying to get into school, or waiting on a breakthrough in your finances.
Maybe you’re trusting God to pass a professional, or entrance exam

Whatever it is — keep doing your part.
Keep praying.
Keep showing up.
Keep trusting.
Keep believing.

And then — rest. Let God handle the rest.

Numbers 23:19 reminds us:

“God is not a man that He should lie.”

He knows what He’s doing, even when you don’t see it.

I hope this testimony encourages you.
And if it does — please share it with someone.
You never know who might need this reminder that God is still working behind the scenes.