“God, Help Me!”

We were headed out west. Townsend, Montana was our destination.  My older brother was driving his Scout, a squatty old Jeep.  We had a family friend along and they were up front while I snuggled in the backseat.  I had a sleeping bag and my teddy bear and was excited to see my dad again who was living and working out west.

I fell into a deep and deadly sleep.

In my sleep, I knew something was wrong.  It was all I could do to open my eyes and lift my head … and when I did … I was sick all over myself.  Even though I had thrown up I had no energy to lift my head and speak.  I remember feeling panic and thinking my teddy bear was ruined.  As I lay there, very sick and groggy, unable to move my head or limbs, I remember wondering if I were going to die.

My very next thought was of God.

I wonder, does everyone in their heart of hearts consider the Creator as they face what might be their last moments?  As my mind went to Him, my heart quieted and with all my might I whispered my prayer, “Help me.”

What happened next is hard to explain, even for a wordy girl like myself.  I felt the most peaceful feeling, I felt calm and everything within my vision was a pure white, like the prettiest pearl you’d ever seen.

I felt the Jeep come to a stop and my dear brother reaching around to shake me awake, to ask if I needed to use the bathroom or needed anything.  Not getting a quick response, figuring I was snoozing, he jumped out to fill up.  I pushed myself out of the Jeep with a strength I didn’t have … with a strength not my own.  I took 3-4 steps and everything went soft.  I felt like I was a feather and I just floated down to the ground ever so slowly.  My brother remembers it much differently.  He says I fainted and fell hard.

I should have never woken up from that sleep.  I had carbon monoxide poisoning and my system was flooded with toxins.  The two up front were okay due to the ventilation from their cracked windows.  My doctor said that on a scale of 1-30–30 being dead– I was at 29.  I spent significant time in a hyperbaric chamber.

That prayer will always stay with me.  No one can explain it away.  I know what happened.

“He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go” (Psalm 91:11).

When do you feel the closest to God?

Have you ever felt as if He spoke directly to your spirit?