I realize this is an old thread, but. . . .I am new to the forum and feel compelled to anwer.I am sure each of us has probably witnessed a miracle, I know I have been saved from near or certain death several times in my life, and maybe many more that I am not aware of.
My husband and I had been a member of a church whom many of you are familiar. One September we were at a feast site in Virginia beach with our 3 children. We had just arrived in the early afternoon, and decided to take our boys down to the beach to see the dolphins. Our oldest was about 4 (Breck), middle son(Matt) was 2 and youngest(Tim) was 1month old. We were taking photos of the dolphins when the film ran out-yes this was in the pre-digital age. We decided to change the film in the camera under my wool cape. We asked Breck to stay still while we did this, Matt held my hand and Tim was asleep in the jeri-pouch on my hip.. Unfortunately Breck disobeyed, and while our attention was on the camera, he was caught in the tide and rolled in a wave.
As it was early autumn and a little chilly and we were all fully clothed in warm attire. He was brought back to us by 2 teenage girls, soaking wet, sandy, cold and miserable. My husband cheerfully offered to take him back to the hotel a block away and get him changed. he told me to stay put he would be right back.
I stood on the beach with Matt holding my hand and Tim still asleep in the jeri-pouch, now around the front of me. We walked in the ankle deep tide and Matt and I played a game we called "toe sharks" to the tune of "Jaws" and pretended the water was a shark we needed to jump back from. We were alone on the beach.
What we did not know, was that there was a hurricane some miles out to sea which had churned the tides to a fury. It had caused a severe rip-tide, which in one fell swoop grabbed me from ankle deep water and pulled me into knee deep and then immediately to waist deep. I grasped Matt's hand and began to panic. Tim slept soundly in front in the carrier, and over my shoulder was a large diaper bag, filled with those insidious gel type diapers, all our money, ID's, 2 cameras and everything of value we had brought with us.I guarded it with my life as it began to swell with water.
The cuurent was so strong that it dragged me and the boys about 30 feet from the beach in a matter of seconds. I could feel the sand being ripped from under my feet as I struggled to stay upright. I felt my life and the boys' lives were over. This struggle seemed to go on forever while I wrestled with the now saturated diaperbag, which I dare not let go of. I don't know how long I struggled, but I managed to get myself turned around to face the beach. Matt kept threatening to float away from me and the waves were hitting me in the back of the head. I knew Tim must be soaking wet and cold, but could not see him anymore as he was slumped in front of me in the jeri-carrier, and I did not have a free hand to check him.
I am a very good swimmer, swam water ballet and syncronized swimming in high school, but with all these odds against me, and one further fact that I had just had Tim one month earlier by C-Section- Iwas not in a position to save myself or my children. I began to shout and scream at the direction of the beach, there was no one to be seen. Not a jogger or even an old couple strolling in the afternoon sun. NO-ONE at all. I cried, I wailed and then I screamed at God to help me, begged him to save us. I was hoarse from screaming.
Out of nowhere, a fully clothed "man" walked up to the water's edge and stretched out his hand to me. He walked into the tide with no effort. He calmly told me to "let go of the child, and I will save him". I argued that if I let his hand go that he would drown. He told me again, and maybe a third time, to let go. I finally let go of Matt's hand, and he rescued Matt and dragged him to the beach and set him on dry sand. He calmly walked back into this raging riptide and took my hand and led me out of the water to safety. I immediately ripped the jericarrier from my neck to check on Tim, I fell to my knees and saw that he was okay, alive, warm and still asleep. Matt was fine, we were shaken up. I stood up to thank the "man" who had rescued us, and he was gone. Not a shred of evidence that he had been there, not a footprint, or a puddle. He did not remain long enough for me to thank him or to see if my one month old baby was yet alive- he knew.
So there is our story, yes, it as a miracle or 3. And it did and has increased my faith to this day.Still when I recall that day it moves me deeply. All three of our sons are alive and well today at 22, 24, and 26.
Ames