By Michele Eich
Before I came to faith in Christ, God began to draw me to Himself in miraculous ways. These lessons taught me the importance of His timing and how He is involved in the most minute details of our lives.
It was the spring of 1995, and my life was in absolute chaos. I was tossed to and fro by the perfect storm that the enemy had brought into my life. In this dark season, two activities brought me comfort. One was organizing my house. It may sound strange, but I took pleasure in building shelves, throwing out unwanted items, and making sure everything was neat and clean. I probably did that because everything on the inside of me was a tumultuous mess. I needed at least one area of my life to be in order.
Secondly, I enjoyed watching Christian television, specifically The 700 Club. During this time, I would get up in the morning and read the Bible. Although I was not yet a believer, I searched for the meaning of life and relief from my pain and confusion. After my reading, I would tune in to the broadcast and go through drawers and closets.
One morning in particular, they aired a blast from the past. Pat’s guest was Corrie ten Boom. Even though Corrie had passed away years before, they brought out this archived interview. This amazing woman spoke on the very subject I had read about that morning: suffering for Christ.
Corrie transcended time and spoke about this powerful Scripture: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you,” (1 Peter 4:12-14).
Later that week, I went to a music event with a friend and her daughter. I took my 9-month-old baby with me on this excursion. When we got in the room, I realized I had not brought any toys for my daughter to play with. Everyone in the room had to be absolutely quiet, so I searched for something to keep my girl entertained. The only thing I could come up with was my watch.
My girl was a little angel, and as we were loading the car, I noticed that the watch was gone. I thought about going back in the building to look for it, but something told me it would be okay, so we went home without it. On the ride back, my friend’s daughter was reading a book by none other than Corrie ten Boom. Another coincidence? It was called The Hiding Place, and I inquired about it. She said it was very good and would loan it to me when done.
A few days later, I was back to cleaning and organizing as the storms continued to brew inside of me. While cleaning out a laundry basket, I found a plastic bag and began to toss it out. However, inside the bag was a watch that I had lost the previous year. What a find! Having just lost my watch the week before, this discovery meant I would not have to buy a new one.
Since I was on spring break, I decided to take my daughter to the mall and get a battery for the watch since it was not working. While there, I could go to the Christian bookstore and get The Hiding Place because I was anxious to read it. I dropped off the watch, bought the book, then returned to the jeweler. When I put the watch on, I noticed it was set to the right time. I thanked the young girl for setting it for me.
She said, “Yea, it’s funny. I went to set the watch after I replaced the battery, and I noticed that it was already set at just the right time. Isn’t that crazy?!”
I thanked her and marveled at yet another coincidence. After arriving home, I could not wait to dive into the book, the heroic account of Corrie and her family hiding Jews during the Holocaust. I discovered that Corrie and her family actually lived in the back of their place of business which was none other than a watch shop!
In that moment, all the pieces came together: seeing Corrie’s interview; losing one watch; finding another watch; the correct time of the watch, and more. God was drawing me to Himself and watching out for me in miraculous ways. No one could convince me that these were mere coincidences. For the first time in a long while, I had hope that more tranquil waters lay ahead. Shortly after these miraculous events, I accepted Christ as my personal savior. I simply could not deny that He was revealing Himself to me in powerful ways. I realized that God’s timing is perfect, and He works behind the scenes to draw us to faith in Him. When I invited the Lord into my life, I discovered one more powerful truth about Him: Jesus still calms storms.
“Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago” (Isaiah 25:1).
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