Waves of Grace [Your Story]

This is the first post in a hopefully long series in which I want to share people's testimonies, answers to prayers, miracles and stories in which God has taught them something, a lesson they will treasure for life. I hope you are as blessed as I was in reading (and experiencing through imagination) Riarna's story.

Hey Y'all! I'm Riarna, a 15 year old teen girl passionate about God, and I blog on over at Walking On Sunshine! I was asked by Katie to share with you all here my powerful experience with God, and I'm so excited to share with you all! Katie is an inspiration to me, and I've been so blessed to get to know her! Her blog is just beautiful, just as she is! So..without further ado, here is my journey..




Have you ever felt alone? Have you ever felt so desperate that you yelled out to God? Or felt Gods presence so strong, that although your world is being rocked, felt at peace?

It was a clear, bright sunny day, a great start to a fresh, new 2013 (this story took place on January 1, 2013) - at least that was how it began. My mum, oldest brother (aged 16), and younger Sister (aged 12) were enjoying ourselves along the inlet river, that flowed through to the ocean beach. We were invited by some family friends, and were enjoying ourselves paddling on our bogie boards, oblivious to the circumstances that were soon to take hold of us.

Out in the water, I took one step, when all of a sudden the sandy floor gave way beneath my feet. The current was so strong that I was unable to swim ashore, and I was quickly taken a fair way out to sea. The same strong, inlet current was pulling on my brother, sister and I, taking us towards the ocean beach. What we didn’t know was, that due to previous flooding, the waves were immense, and highly dangerous, and yet there was nothing we could do but pray.

 We were taken by the deceiving calm, but inwardly dangerous strong currents from the ‘supposedly friendly and safe’ inlet river, to meet with the huge ocean waves. It was then I realized we were all caught amongst a huge rip that caused the three of us to be separated. I was so terrified! Words cannot describe how desperate I was. I know too, that my siblings would have been feeling the same. As the massive waves were pounding us, and pounding us, like we were being tossed around in a washing machine with no air, I felt as though that was all it - we were done, and I can remember screaming with panic, trying to hold on to my board for dear life.  As I was being constantly dragged under water, I prayed to God in my heart, pleading for help. It was after I finished my silent prayer, that I looked to the sky, and felt a strong overwhelming sense of peace and strong security, that although I was in the crossroads of my life, God gave me the assurance that everything was going to be alright. I was in his hands, and I felt that.  Only a short time after I prayed to God, my Sister, brother and me suddenly found ourselves in water that was below knee length, along the shore.

To this day, I still do not know how we got so close to shore, but what I do know, is that it was God guided. As I walked from the shallow water to the sandy beach with my Sister, I noticed my injured brother, who was barely breathing, gasping for air, and was still knee deep in the water. He was in trouble, and I knew it. 

The beach was deserted at first; no one to be seen and I had no idea where we were as wewere taken quite far from where we were originally, when I saw one man standing nearby. He quickly ran to my Brother, and helped him out of the water and brought him ashore. He carried my poor brother to the nearest lifeguard some distance away, and left him there for the lifeguard to attend. The Man left then, and we didn’t see him again, nor did we learn his name. To this day, I still do not know who he was, or why he was the only person on the beach, but what I do know, is that God works miracles, and God used that man to help bring my brother to safety. We believe that he may have been an angel of God.

Thankfully my sister and I were OK, but my brother was quickly raced to hospital as his airways and lungs were collapsing due to swallowing too much ocean water during the time he was in the rip. Praise God, he got through okay. No! Praise God we ALL got through okay!

Out in that rip, I was caught at the crossroads in my life, when all of a sudden I found myself being tossed around, death just around the corner. But God was there. No, God wasn’t just there, He was in our hearts, and He heard my silent prayer, and answered it. I still praise God today, praise him for my life, praise him for saving my precious brother, my precious sister and I, from the treacherous waves. And yet when I reflect back, I realize how much I took for granted. But I know that as I experienced a frightful, life threatening experience, Gods almighty hand was evidently shown throughout every moment of it.

Sometimes God allows these frightening experiences to take place, not so He can punish us for the things we have done wrong as perhaps some people believe, but so that He can demonstrate His saving power, love and mercy toward us, so that we may experience Gods almighty existence in our lives and learn to love Him through a love for others. He knows you. He knows your deepest pain, and if you find yourself doubting His existence, I want you to remember this experience I shared with you today, and know that He loves you passionately, so passionately words cannot describe it!  And yet sometimes its not until our very life is hanging on a thread, that we come to God, and He still answers. 

Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me withall your heart.”

To read more of Riarna's bloggings visit: Walking On Sunshine