WHEN God acts in Lizzie Sykes-Little’s life, the effect seems to be instant.

She was miraculously healed of a chronic health problem the first time she was prayed for. Then the first time she heard God’s voice, it led to her quitting her long-term job. And her calling to ordination was similarly immediate.

She will be ordained as a deacon by Bishop Jonathan on June 27, at a special service in our cathedral with two other candidates. Later that day, another 11 deacons will be ordained as priests.

“A few years ago, I could never have imagined this happening,” said Lizzie. “I had a 25-year career as a speech and language therapist and assumed that I would never leave. But it’s hard to ignore God’s voice when it is so persistent and obvious.”

Lizzie, who worships at St Mary’s and St Francis, Alverstoke, was a churchgoer as a child, but her faith wasn’t active. When she married her husband, Gordon, neither were going to church, but they looked for a suitable venue and plumped for St Ann’s Church in HM Naval Base.

Part of the marriage preparation involved attending St Ann’s, and they felt welcome. So when they moved to Gosport in 2014, they attended a Bible study course at St Mary’s, Alverstoke, and Lizzie’s faith clicked into place.

Shortly after that, Lizzie began to experience symptoms of fibromyalgia, a chronic illness that includes muscle pain and fatigue. From 2019, Lizzie experienced three years of profound symptoms. She had joined a team at St Mary’s that prays for God to heal others, but had not been prayed for herself.

“I think I resisted being prayed for, as I felt God was teaching me about patience and humility through it,” she said. “I just carried on with work and family commitments, but often at home I was a mess – in pain, fatigued and really struggling.

“Our team was about to start public sessions of healing prayer and it felt strange for me not to be prayed for too. Amazingly, I was prayed for at a friend’s house and God healed me. I’ve felt hardly any pain since that moment in February 2022.”

Lizzie was also working as a speech and language therapist with adults, leading a multi-disciplinary team in two neurological wards in Southampton. By April 2022, when she was revelling in being pain-free, she heard God speaking to her as she got into her car to drive to work.

“A voice said: ‘I want you to quit your job.’ I tried to ignore it, but the voice got more persistent and it was obvious it was God,” she said. “But it wasn’t obvious what God wanted me to do next.

“I was leading a team coming out of Covid and wondered who would replace me and who would take care of that team. But within 48 hours both questions were answered: someone was moving to Southampton with the skills to replace me, and two of my team decided to move on.

“So I quit the job, worked my three-month notice period and God still didn’t tell me what he was planning. I helped a friend who was an Anna Chaplain. We were offering home Communion in a care home, and as I did so, I realised God was calling me to ordination. I was completely convinced by God in that instant.

“But I think that’s how God works. I wouldn’t have quit my job if I’d known that ordination was what God was calling me to.”

Lizzie studied theology at Ripon College Cuddesdon. She was worried that her dyspraxia would make the academic parts of the course more difficult, but she enjoyed the challenge of going deeper theologically. She was also able to lead worship at St Francis, and has also had experience of being the schools and families leader in her parish.

After ordination, she’ll become the curate in Liss. Lizzie will move into a house there while her husband, who teaches astronavigation at HMS Collingwood, will remain in Gosport, for the shorter commute.

“I feel called to Liss, but I don’t know the specific purpose,” she said. “So it will be exciting to find out what God has in mind.”