God's protection story #2

One of Daniel's job assignments was in Pensacola FL a few years ago. Herb and I were able to visit him at least once and Saige and her family did too. He had a great condo on Santa Rosa Island. The front of the building opened to the Gulf and his balcony overlooked the condo's pool and the Intercoastal Waterway. Not a bad place for a vacation and getting to visit with your son/brother. Free too!

All my kids have tried to protect me from the knowledge of certain situations because they know my propensity to worry or to get upset. Like the time one of them accidentally shot (air soft bullet) the screen out of one of their laptops. That would have been a time that I would have been very upset. Well, mothers have sixth sense and somehow I found out about it. However, that incident does not compare to the Pensacola Beach story that I found out about some time after it had actually happened.

My son-in-law David, Daniel, and his friend/co-worker went for a swim in the Gulf while Saige, Aubie, and little Matthan (pre-Solomon days) stayed on the beach. The lifeguard flag was yellow, but the guys weren't planning on going out too far. (If I had been there, I would have exercised my motherly authority and forbade them to go in, but alas I was not.) Unbeknownst (yes, this is a word) to them, the flag changed to red while they were still out.

The red flag warned about a rip current and larger waves. All the guys had been out for a while on a sand bar, but as my two sons headed in they were caught in the rip tide. Daniel explained that he was swimming as hard as he could to get to shore and realized he wasn't getting any closer. They both were so exhausted. Daniel could touch the bottom, but the current was dragging him back when he did that. David could not touch the bottom without going under since he is shorter than Daniel, but with those conditions it wouldn't have done any good.

They were calling and waving to Daniel's friend, but he thought they were doing just that. He later told them, next time you need to cry, "HELP!" David told Daniel that he didn't think he was going to make it and Daniel was having the same thoughts about himself. But in a God inspired thought Daniel decided to give David several hard pushes forward and then God sent two large waves that pushed them toward shore and out of the rip tide. Struggling up on shore, they collasped, panting and catching their breath.

In the meantime, Saige had begun to think that her husband and brother had been out way too long. Also they were not in the place she had last spotted them! I don't know if she could have made the decision to go help her husband and brother over leaving her two small children on shore, but I am glad she did not have to make that choice. She would not have made it herself in those treacherous waters and by the time she had begun to be concerned, God was rescuing our boys!

God must have some great plans for these two young men. I hope they will always remember His intervention in their lives knowing that He loves them and wants to use them and their giftings in His kingdom. By the way, Daniel's friend was not in danger since he was not in the rip tide. He and Daniel are still good friends and were roommates on Daniel's last assignment before he left for California. God is so good!