A Story That Will Make You Marvel at God

A few days ago, the Lord repeated this verse to me:

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” — Isaiah 60:1

The more I sat with it, the more I sensed that my season is beginning to shift. I believe the Lord is slowly nudging me, letting me know that very soon it will be time to come out of hiding so people can see His glory upon my life.

I’ve spent almost four years in the secret place—walking with God, learning His ways, and allowing Him to reshape me.

One thing I’ve learned is this: before God elevates a person, He first refines them first.

He purifies.

He sanctifies.

Then He prepares.

God wants His vessel to truly represent His heart, and in order to do that, we have to know Him—not just know about Him, but know Him in spirit and in truth.

These last four years have been filled with stretching, obedience, intimacy, dying to self, humility, and learning.

Whew…

If I’m honest, it felt like baptism by fire.

When God Elevates You

Last year, something happened completely out of the blue, and I have to give you some context first so you understand why this story means so much to me.

For almost six years, my LinkedIn had been practically silent.

My profile picture was the same one from 2016 until the middle of 2025.

Stay with me—I’m painting a picture.

I actually stopped posting altogether in 2022 because I was juggling two jobs, and I didn't want to accidentally create workplace chaos LOL.

Can you imagine? I post, "We're hiring!"... and then my coworkers from my other company stumble across it like, "Umm... Whitney? Care to explain?"

Yeah... I wasn't trying to star in that episode. 😂 So, to keep life simple and avoid any awkward conversations, I went completely quiet on LinkedIn.

As a recruiter, that's actually pretty unusual. Most recruiters practically live on LinkedIn. They're posting jobs, sharing hiring tips, celebrating candidate wins—you name it.

Not me.

Even after I stopped working two jobs, I had gotten so used to being quiet.

I promise this is going somewhere.

Out of nowhere, a woman who had previously worked in the White House and is now a diplomat reached out to me.

I was genuinely confused.

You have to remember—I had an old profile picture, barely any activity, and hadn’t posted for years.

I honestly thought, “What exactly did she see on my bare profile?”

She asked if we could talk.

I said yes.

But after I replied, I prayed.

“Lord, if this isn’t from You, I don’t want it.”

And I meant every word.

• I don’t care about prestige.

• I don’t care about influence.

• I don’t care about titles.

• I don’t care who the person is.

If it isn’t from God, I genuinely don’t want it.

I’ve learned that being outside of God’s will is one of the worst places a person can be. No opportunity, no platform, no person, no amount of influence is worth stepping outside His will.

After I prayed…

I never heard from her again.

Honestly, I wasn’t planning to follow up either. I simply took it as an answered prayer.

Looking back, I believe God was testing my heart.

He knows my ambition. And ambition isn’t a bad thing when it’s surrendered to Him (That’s a whole different blog!). God places dreams, zeal, and vision inside of us—not for our glory, but for His.

Then five or six months later…

She reached out again.

I remember thinking,

“Lord…is this You?”

The thing was God had called me to remain with Him in this hidden season, and I had become content there. He intentionally led me into a place of no reputation. He stripped away so many things that used to define me, and by His grace, I let them go.

Back to the story

She told me she wanted me to be one of the speakers at her annual women’s event where around 100–200 women gather.

Guys…

I was so confused.

Most people hadn’t seen or heard from me in years.

I’m probably one of the hardest people to find.

I’m not in contact with lots of people.

Above all, I've never once mentioned being a speaker on LinkedIn—or on any social media, for that matter. 😂 So where on earth did she find "speaker" in my bio?

So how did she think of me?

Who even told her about me?

The only explanation I could come up with was God.

Then she told me about the panel. It was called something like Influential Women Standing on Business.

What really shocked me wasn’t the title.

It was who else would be sitting on that panel.

• The Deputy Mayor of Washington, D.C.

• A distinguished and honorable parliament official from Canada.

• A well-known influential woman of God whom many people know and respect.

And then…

Me.

The youngest.

The least influential in the world’s eyes.

I remember arriving and quietly thinking,

“Lord…why am I here?”

But God gave me a boldness and courage to speak His Word.

The beautiful part is that what I spoke about was the very thing God had been perfecting in me for the last four years:

• The secret place.

• Intimacy.

• Obedience.

• Surrender.

I always tell people this: When we speak, it’s not just words. There is a spirit backing those words.

My message wasn’t impactful simply because I spoke well.

It carried weight because, by God’s grace, I had become the message I was preaching.

People weren’t just hearing information. They were hearing what God had done in my life. And it convicted hearts.

Afterward, the influential women on that panel treated me with so much love and respect.

Honestly…

I kept thinking,

“God…what is going on?”

As I reflected on it afterward, I felt the Lord impress something on my heart.

It was as though He was reminding me:

“You humbled yourself to know Me and love Me. I will give you a platform. It was always part of My plan for you, but first I had to posture your heart according to My will. This platform is only the beginning. There are higher platforms ahead. All you will do is speak My Word, and I will use you in an unconventional way.”

He truly rewards those who diligently seek Him.

I was in such a hidden season, yet God, in His perfect timing, sent someone out of nowhere to find me and place me on a platform I had never stood on before.

I wasn't chasing visibility. I wasn't building a personal brand. I wasn't trying to be seen.

Yet God found me in the hidden place and brought me into the light.

That's what amazes me most. When it's God's time to elevate you, He doesn't need your self-promotion. He knows exactly where you are, and He knows exactly how to bring you before the people He has ordained for your journey.

Soon, many people may see the glory.

They may see the influence.

They may see the opportunities.

But they won’t see the hidden season. They won’t see the tears. The sacrifices. The prayers. The stretching. The obedience.

Truthfully, I never prayed for a platform. If you know me personally, you know I don’t really care about that.

This is only the beginning. My prayer is that the same God who kept me during my season of obscurity will continue to keep me in this new season of influence.

• May I continue to seek Him with the same hunger.

• May I continue to walk in the fear of the Lord.

• May influence never become greater than intimacy.

You may think you’ve gotten to know my story by reading these blogs.

I promise you… You haven’t heard anything yet.

My story will leave no doubt that God is faithful, and you will see His glory displayed in a remarkable way.

I’m honored and humbled......

Whitney 5.0 is loading. Not for my name. Not for my recognition.

But so that people will see His glory through my life.

Because one thing I’ve learned is this:

God prepares who He blesses.

God prepares who He elevates.

And the secret place is never wasted.

🎵 Music Time

Marcus Rogers – Dreams Money Can't Buy "Prayed so long with tears in my eyes."