I pestered God for a miracle…

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him:  for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Have you ever wondered about the numerous verses in the Old and New Testament that refer to seeking God?  He promises His people that we will find Him, if we search with all of our heart.  I searched for Him.  My reward is wonderful…but I am getting ahead of myself.

My eighth-grade English teacher was pronouncing our new spelling words and then giving us the definition.  It was back before we had air conditioning in the schools.  The entire left side of the room had tall, wide windows that were opened to soft breezes.

The scents of spring and warm sunshine had my attention, but one ear was on her.  She seemed to know when my mind left her classroom.  In the time it took to draw in a single breath of sweet, green and growing things, my life changed.

“Atheist.  A person who does not believe in God,” she said before pausing to go on to the next word, a word that I never heard.  In thirteen years of living, I’d never known such a person existed.  Looking around the room at my fellow classmates, I could see that none of them shared the shock that I was feeling.  They looked as bored as I’d been moments ago before doubt head-butted me.

God had always been a part of my life.  My daddy had taught me to pray as soon as I learned to talk.  Everyone in my rural-small-town-world knew that God was real…even the folks who didn’t go to church.

How was it possible to be an atheist?  God’s handiwork was everywhere.  It was in the miracle of spring outside the window.  The night sky proclaimed His existence.  The Holy Bible spoke of His love.  Why…”Jesus Loves Me” was one of the first songs I learned in Sunday School.  I loved Him right back too.  I understood why He died on the Cross.  I had accepted Him as my Savior and been baptized at eleven years old.

Walking home from school, my faith was tormented by doubt and it made me uncomfortable. Why hadn’t I known before today that atheists walked among us? Just like always, I went straight to God with this new problem.  As usual He was silent, but this time I was afraid. The man in the red suit had been such a fraud.

Daddy was in the kitchen when I walked inside, but I didn’t tell him anything, except hello. He had never lied to me, even when he knew the truth about Santa would dishearten his suspicious daughter.

Unlike Christmas, I’d never had any cause to doubt that God wasn’t real. My heart and mind concurred that He existed. He’d always answered my prayers. The fact that they were often not answered the way I’d planned them for Him had never bothered me. God’s will invariably turned out for the best.

That evening Daddy called my new spelling words out for me to practice before the test Friday. I watched his face close when atheist came up. Nothing.  He just went on to the next word. After helping me, he returned to his crossword puzzle.

I couldn’t sleep. My faith had to know the truth, so I knocked on my dad’s bedroom door. “Daddy, is God real?” Instantly, he was awake. Concern was on his face as he sat up and patted the bed beside him.

“Yes, Honey Bunch. Why are you asking such a question? Is this why you’ve been so quiet all evening?”

Relief flooded my exhausted brain when he assured me that the Lord was genuine. Daddy told me that he had been with an atheist when he died. That man had said, “I was wrong, Gunn. There is a God.” I wish now that I’d questioned him more about his friend, but I was selfishly relieved about my my own fears and didn’t consider that man’s salvation.

Sleep came, but in the morning doubt remained. I began to think of it as a force because it seemed to hurl questions at my faith. “If God is real, why won’t He move that star when you ask Him to zoom it across the sky?”

Funny thing is . . . a star did jump up and down one of those times when I had called for Him to move it. Wise child that I was . . . I realized it was because the car hit a bump in the road. That’s when I discovered that I had a Gideon heart. You can find the act of fleece throwing in the Bible when God calls on Gideon to fight the Midianites. (Judges 6:36-40). I needed an extraordinary sign from God too.

For several weeks, I continued talking to God and pleading with Him to prove His existence, but there were no miracles. Junior high school ended with doubt in faith’s shadow. So . . . like the widow in Luke 18:1-5,  I pestered Him every day in June, July and August . . . in between turning fourteen, enjoying the fun of summer and getting to know one special friend.

She and I were inseparable that summer when doubt grieved me. I’d never mentioned my battle, because it just felt personal. She asked me to go to Landa Park with her family for Labor Day 1961. The following morning we would start our freshman year of high school.

We were to ride currents on rented inner tubes until we came to a cable stretched across the river. We could get out, walk back upriver and start all over again. Daddy gave his permission, but he came too because I could not swim. He knew I was fearless on an inner tube.

The water was swift in the middle of the river and total chaos ensued as tubers latched onto that line. I was careful to work my way to the edge of the river as we neared the cable, so that I could get out in calm water.

On the last trip back down the river, my friend latched onto my tube as we neared the cable. She wouldn’t let me maneuver over to my safe zone. I kept telling her to let go of me, but she had this stubborn, determined look on her face. Had she lost her mind?

She never said one word. I guess she was tired of me playing it safe. I pleaded and tried to pry her hands away, but the current slammed me into the cable unprepared. She was in front of me. The tube shot out from underneath me. It was rented, so I let go of the cable to retrieve it.

Major mistake . . . it was headed down stream. So was I, but I was walking fast along the river bottom with the current.  Sunlight was filtering down through the crystal clear water. It revealed tree roots along the banks and rocks embedded over the river bed.

Turning my head to look back, I noticed the bottom half of swimmers across the cable. That was a sight I’d never seen. This just couldn’t be happening to me was pounding in my head, as the water carried me further away from the place where my daddy waited.

I was uneasy, but my mind was captivated by the alien water-world. Pale greens, yellows, browns and off-white were in my blurry vision. Black tree roots did remind me of snakes. Maybe that’s why I didn’t walk to the bank and crawl out. I could certainly see it, but not comprehend climbing up and getting out.

My head broke the surface. There was no thought of calling for help. I needed air. Too soon my head went back underneath the water, but I was enveloped in a blinding, bright light. There was something in the light that LOVED me. It was a strong, overpowering and ineffable love that I have no words to describe.

My thoughts immediately turned to God. This had to be Jesus. I was just experiencing wonderful love and content to stay in the light. My head broke the surface and once more I sucked in air, but I marveled at the bright technicolor of sky, trees and green grass.

Sinking back into the water and the light, blindness returned. Peace filled me. I was content to just stay where I was and ponder the love overpowering all of my senses. It was a shock when my head popped out of the water and my vision returned.

This time there was a rock beneath my feet that held my head above the water. It was about the size of a basketball. I marveled that I was able to stand still on it with one foot on each rounded side.

The water was at my chin. I looked across to the far bank and watched three children swinging out on a rope before dropping into the river. For the first time, I felt fear. At that angle, the water was dark and menacing. That was when the tears started. Why hadn’t my friend told my dad that I was in the river? Where was Daddy? Was Jesus holding me up on this round rock?

A thought as clear as a voice told me to call out to the children for help. The oldest was about eleven. Remember . . . I was a freshman in high school. That small child cautiously swam to me, but stayed out of my reach. That same thought-voice told me to clasp my hands together and hold them out in front of me. I was not to touch the child.

Standing with my arms held out before me in a circle, I watched the crowd grow across the water. My father was not among them. A small head appeared inside the circle. I did nothing to help, or hinder our progress across the river. The lifeguard helped me out of the water.

I wanted my daddy and I searched the astonished faces for him. My friend’s mother told me that he had gone to the restroom. The one time that he took his eyes off of me, God gave me the miracle that I had been pestering Him about for months.

My friend and I never really talked about what she did. Sadly, we grew apart that freshman year and found new friends. I did ask her why she didn’t tell anyone that I was in the water and she told me that she didn’t realize it at the time.  Did it all happen that fast? It seemed like a pretty long walk in the river to me, but my mind was really busy.

Daddy came back and he was upset. My lungs hurt a little afterwards,  but I was fine. On the way home, I told him about my summer of doubt and how I’d left it in the light.  He was amazed by the ending, as was I.

So, what about the reward promised in Hebrews 11:6? After my experience, I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that God was real.  From that moment on, when I read about His love in Scripture, I knew what it felt like firsthand.  It made my soul jump for joy. I also know that He will be there when my time on earth is over. He will be the One taking me home to heaven.

I’ve often prayed for and thought about the child that took me to safety. It’s my nature to say thank you, but I can’t remember saying it that day. My focus was on Daddy.

I wonder . . . did anyone thank you? Do you ever think about the girl you rescued? You watched me for awhile before sticking your head through my arms. Did you know that you were part of a supernatural event?  Are you still here on this earth? Would you like to meet me now in my golden years? I’d sure like to meet you.  For this reason, I am purposefully withholding details that would describe you in the hopes that you respond to my story.

There was a miracle that took place in New Braunfels, Texas on Labor Day of 1961 in the Comal River. I wonder if anyone else was there and witnessed my miracle. I’d love to hear your account of that day. One beautiful woman with blond hair and blue eyes is in my memory. Her eyes told me that she knew this wasn’t an ordinary event.

This declaration is mainly to let people know that I searched for God and found Him. To be honest, this event is one of my greatest treasures, along with my salvation and having the Holy Spirit guide me through life.

I encourage you to search for God until you find Him, but always remember to respect Him. He is holy and the fact that He cares about His children doesn’t give us the right to be disrespectful to Him. I pestered Him, but His Holy Word gave me permission. I still pester Him. I often thank Him for putting up with me.

Testing God wasn’t wise, but He took into account that I was a child. I’m still fascinated by the stars and humbled that their Creator loves me.

The best place to start your search is by reading His Word. It is alive and full of truth and treasures. Start in the New Testament. Each day get alone with your Bible and tell Him what’s in your heart. He wants a personal relationship with you. It gives me chills to think of the adventure that awaits you.