I've been meaning to write about a really amazing thing that happened to me this summer for a while now. I'm finally getting around to writing about it even though it's been a few months now!
For those of you who know me, you know one of the most important things to me is my safety. I am kind of a safety freak in fact. I grew up with a very protective dad and brother who always looked out for me (and still do). Well, this summer I did not have my dad or my brother with me.
I was living in my house in Fort Worth while taking summer school, and I was living in my four bedroom house alone for two months. Although I tried to act tough, I did get scared often at night. I would hear a crack in the wood floors or the cat who lives on my back porch (who was sure to be a serial killer) and become a little bit frightened.
Whenever I was trying to go to sleep and was scared, I would pray for protection from God. I specifically would pray that He would watch over my house, that He would remove any evil, and that He would allow no intruders to enter my house. Whenever I would start praying, the coolest thing happened!
I could hear these birds start chirping outside my window. They were the sweetest sounding birds with little high pitched chirps. Now, this is unusual because they would literally only start chirping when I would start praying. No joke. Also, birds don't typically chirp at late at night, or at 12 or 1 in the morning. At least I have never heard any birds chirping once the sun sets.
I would then fall asleep to the chirping...every night. I don't believe this was a coincidence. I don't really believe in chance or coincidence in general. God has always kind of spoken to me in signs; they're always really personal things that other people wouldn't understand or notice. Also, I pay a lot of attention to detail, so He usually speaks to me in the little details of my life. I've been left speechless several times by signs like this in my life.
I know the birds were a sign to me from God that He was protecting me and a reminder that I did not need to fear. He did in fact protect me and answered my prayers. He also protected me constantly throughout the summer in many other ways than that situation. Looking back, I was really clinging onto Him, so weary and broken, but He always lifted me up and carried me through. Once again, God is faithful.
Well, I hope this can bring you some encouragement, or maybe even prove to you that God shows us His faithfulness in ways that we wouldn't necessarily expect.
I'd like to leave you with this verse from Psalms, the book that really got me through the trials of the summer:
"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." -Psalm 32:7
