Username Of The Writer: gprhwc
The most incredible miracle we have ever experience!
We all know that the Lord works in mysterious ways but, many years ago, I also found out that praying fervently to Jesus Christ for a much-needed miracle can change your life or even save it. Here is the story of how God’s love saved my family and me years ago.
When we were much younger, my husband and I decided to sell our house in California and buy a boat to live on. We bought a 57-foot ketch-rigged sailboat (The Thunderbear), moved aboard in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and outfitted her for a trip to the nearby Bahamas. Now, although the Bahamian islands are fairly close to the coast of Florida, a crossing takes more time than you would expect due to the Gulf Stream, which pushes against you. So, all sailors know to make the crossing at night to avoid landfall in the Bahamas with all of its sandbars and coral reefs.
So, my husband (Bear), our 12-year-old son (Rick), our friend (Ranny, who thankfully had more sailing experience than we did), and I set sail in the early evening the day after Thanksgiving, giving us ample time to cross the Gulf Stream and arrive at West End, Grand Bahama Island in the daylight. West End is where boats have to clear customs upon entering the Bahamas.
It was a beautiful calm night on the water but we soon noticed storm clouds on the horizon. We thought for sure they were heading in the opposite direction but they soon seemed to turn and head straight toward us. We had come too far out to sea and they were way too close too quickly for us to head back to Lauderdale. So, Ranny told us not to worry because it was probably not much of a storm at all and we’d be fine. He wasn’t quite right about the former but definitely was 100 percent correct about the latter. We were fine……..eventually.
As the skies turned darker, the wind began to blow, and then the rain came. It was one of those drenching rains, not just a few droplets. We donned our foul weather gear, those bright yellow rain jackets, and matching overalls that we were sure we’d never have to wear. As we stood in the ship’s store in Lauderdale, we felt silly even trying them on. After all, we were going to the sunny Bahamas. Well, we didn’t feel silly anymore and we were grateful that Ranny had told us to buy a set for each of us at the time. “Better safe than sorry”, he said.
Well, as the rain and wind increased, we weren’t feeling very safe though. Through the night, Thumderbear cut through those huge waves like a champ but all I could think of was that old sailors’ saying, “Oh Lord, my boat is small and the sea is so big!” As the waves grew bigger and we went up one side and down the other, it was getting extremely scary and I decided it was time to say a prayer for our safe arrival on land.
So, I looked toward heaven and mustered every bit of hope and faith that I had in me. I just couldn’t imagine my young son never getting to go to high school or college or even get married and have kids of his own because we made the fatal mistake of taking him out in the middle of the ocean that night. I simply had to believe that Jesus would hear my fervent prayer for our safety and that miracles can happen. After imploring Jesus to please save us, I found my way below deck and found our family bible and kissed it. Then, I put my right hand on it and said another prayer, telling Jesus that in exchange for the gift of life for all of us and delivery from this storm, I would never let my belief in him waver as long as I may live.
After saying “Amen”, I headed back up on deck. About twenty minutes later, the rain stopped, the wind calmed down, and the clouds parted. In place of all that chaos was the most gorgeous sunrise that I had ever seen just hovering over Grand Bahama Island in the distance. All I could think of to say was, “Thank you, Jesus“.
Once on dry land and, after clearing customs and docking our boat, we all sat down to Thanksgiving leftovers and gave thanks for everything, especially the way that Jesus had saved us from the storm. I don’t think there were four more thankful people in the entire world at that particular moment!
Originally posted 2022-02-07 03:15:00.
