Brooke Ligertwood: Divine Providence Leads to Theology Studies After Years of Prayer

A chance encounter on a Texas campus has been described as “divine providence” by worship leader Brooke Ligertwood, who discovered a woman from Ukraine had been praying for her to pursue theological studies.

Ligertwood, known for popular songs including “A Thousand Hallelujahs” and “Bless God,” detailed the unexpected meeting on social media Sunday, according to reports from CBN News and Faithwire. The encounter occurred at the Lanier Theological Library and Learning Center, where Ligertwood was auditing a doctoral intensive led by New Testament scholar Dr. Lynn Cohick.

The woman, identified as Ksusha, had previously viewed a video of Ligertwood expressing a desire to one day study theology. Inspired by the clip, Ksusha began praying specifically for Ligertwood to have the opportunity to pursue that path, a prayer Ligertwood says was answered in a remarkable way.

Ligertwood described herself as “poorly educated” in formal theology, noting her understanding of scripture developed through personal reading and mentorship from authors like C.S. Lewis, Bonhoeffer, and Tozer during her early career as a touring musician. She explained that she had only recently been invited to study at Lanier.

“My feet clip-clopped on the stone and my heart giddy upped – one of those moments where one becomes hyper-aware of experiencing said moment by sheer grace,” Ligertwood wrote. She noticed two women approaching the same entrance and assumed they were students.

After introducing themselves, Ksusha revealed to Ligertwood that she was “shocked” to meet her, explaining she had been praying for Ligertwood’s opportunity to study theology for years. Ksusha, who is pursuing her doctorate remotely while periodically traveling from Ukraine to attend classes in the U.S., connected the encounter directly to her prayers.

“God saw fit not only to grant me a sublime taste of an answer to a prayer I hadn’t dared pray myself, but made sure that she who had faith to pray it for me saw with her own eyes a beginning come to pass,” Ligertwood wrote. “So, when you pray, know this: God is a loving Father with a glint in His eye.”