Prayer is powerful.
We know that whether we feel an answer immediately or not, God hears us when we speak to Him.
For two Florida teens lost at sea, their prayers were answered in a way only God can imagine.
Thursday, April 18th, 2019 was a beautiful day in Vilano Beach.
As per tradition, seniors of high school are granted a senior skip day, and this day happened to coincide with the schedule.
Tyler Smith and Heather Brown decided the perfect way to spend this blessing would be swimming off the coast of Vilano Beach.
The two seniors of Christ’s Church Academy were having a fantastic experience. Then, they started to attempt the swim back to shore…and quickly their joys vanished behind terror.
The tide was pushing and the current was too strong to swim back.
Out of panic, Smith grabbed Brown’s hand and began praying aloud. He realized there was only One Person who could save them, or they would drown.
In speaking to WJAX-TV, Smith reports: “I cried out: ‘If you really do have a plan for us, like, come on. Just bring something.’”
Simultaneously, a boat was traveling from Delray Beach, FL to New Jersey.
Captain of the boat, Eric Wagner, records the story on his Facebook page: “Over all the wind, waves, and engines, we thought we heard a desperate scream. 200 yards behind us we saw an arm flail over the swells.”
He continues to say that they turned around and made expedient effort to rescue the teens.
They were just about completely exhausted. Liftable reports from the Facebook post: “both teens were shivering and pale and Smith’s lips were white. Crew members quickly called the coast guard in order to get medical help.”
As help was on the way, Smith was able to get a few words out to the Captain. Besides so much gratefulness, he explained that they had just finished praying to God and he believed this boat was their answer.
To this, the Captain replied to tell Smith that they were rescued by “The Amen”… The boat’s actual name!
According to Liftable, “The name of the boat, normally said to signify the end of a prayer, caused tears to well up in the teens’ eyes. God had answered their prayers in a way only God could.”
Smith tells Fox News: “From us crying out to God, for Him to send someone for us to keep living and a boat named ‘Amen,’ there’s no way that it wasn’t Him.”
Captain Wagner knew this was God’s miracle and praises Him for the opportunity to be part of this salvation story. “The young couple was gracious and grateful to us and to God. It was the latter all along.”
Let us be mindful of those around us, and seek to be in such a state that we are always available for God to use us for His Greater Purposes.
We may plan our lives, but allow God to direct our steps. He desires to lead His children to many beautiful blessings… And sometimes that may be in the form of an opportunity to bless others.