God has touched my life in many ways, but two stand out in my memory the most.
In 1977, we had a snowstorm -- a rare occurrence for southern Alabama. I was eleven years old and had a schoolmate over. Mom called us inside to eat and warm up a bit. We were lying on the floor, reading or playing a game, when a shot rang out. None of us could figure out what had happened when suddenly, mom noticed a bullet hole in the front window -- right where she had been standing only moments before. If she hadn't leaned down to pick up her cup of coffee from the coffee table, the bullet would have struck her right in the head. It turns out the shot came from a drunken neighbor with a high-powered rifle who wasn't even aiming towards our house. This divine intervention was truly the hand of God. Praise His Holy name. He knew I needed my mom, because unbeknownst to us, my dad would die the following year.
The second instance happened one night as I was working the overnight shift at a local hotel. I felt so down, depressed, and alone, like no one in the world cared about me. To say I was having a bad night was an understatement. I walked just outside to have a smoke, as was my custom, when a police car passed by and turned in. He pulled up to where I was standing, rolled down the window, handed me a New Testament and said, "Something just told me to give you this, that you might need it." That was February, 1996, and I've never felt that alone again. I know God was trying to comfort me. Sure, I still have bouts of depression, but I know I have a Father who will listen to me, and who knows my every need. Praise Jesus!
Ray H.
Brewton, AL