For we walk by faith, not by sight. – (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)
By Beverly Lomosad
Nayomie Mendoza saw what’s it like for a believer in Jesus Christ to walk by faith. She has a Christian father, Marcos, who showed it to her by example. An immigrant to the United States from Mexico, Marcos saw his dream of owning a restaurant realized in May 2005. With business ownership, however, came a host of challenges. The infancy years of the business were tough it relied on tips to stay afloat. Nayomie saw how her father leaned on his faith to weather through the up-and-down cycle of business. She saw how he was persistent in prayer, trusting God to provide for every need (Philippians 4:19). Little breakthroughs such as when the business makes enough to cover for the rent with some leftover cash are deemed answers to prayer.
After about 13 years, Marcos stepped away from the business to serve full time as a church pastor. One week shy of turning 21 and armed with a marketing degree, Nayomie took over the family business. She had barely begun when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. In no time, the business sank deeper into debt: $10,000, $20,000, $30,000. When the pandemic took a turn for the worse, leading to business shutdowns, Nayomie began to wonder what’s the path forward for the business and whether she’s going to lose it. She was on the verge of giving up.
Enter Marcos. His advice: “Pray that the Lord multiplies. It might seem like the world is in scarcity right now, but we have God as our provider.” After a five-month shutdown, the restaurant re-opened with little money for supplies and faced mounting unpaid rent and bills. Nayomie applied for a federal aid but was declined as, at time of application, she had less than two years of traction as a business owner. She applied for a government grant and was approved for $10,000. She then prayed, “Lord, what’s next?” She began using the social media more, seeing that, as a result of the pandemic, more people have pivoted online. And it worked. Some of her postings went viral, and TV food networks noticed. That marked a turning point for the business to propel forward. Nayomie has since expanded and opened a second location.
The Bible does record a story of Jesus feeding thousands by supernaturally multiplying a paltry amount of bread and fish (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-13). Obviously, that’s the miracle Marcos wants to see Nayomie ask God for. Walking by faith means prayerfully asking for the miracle of long ago for the need of today from the God who is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Walking by faith means believing that God will do for one – you – what He did for another (Acts 10:34). Walking by faith means believing that the covenant of blessing (Genesis 12:2-24) that God cut with Abraham (Genesis 15) includes those who are in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:29).