Photo by Ashley McKinney Brown, Shining Light Photography
Nearly fifty years ago, I was squirrel hunting with a friend in a swampy region of Louisiana. My friend had gone off to another area and I was alone. I had already killed two squirrels and had noticed that other squirrels were feeding in beech trees. So, I began to look for beech trees. I came upon one, and crept up on it very cautiously and quietly. I stopped and just watched the tree at for at least five minutes or more. Then I decided there was no squirrel in the tree. I turned my head to the right and saw a briar thicket. I couldn’t go that way. I couldn’t walk towards the beech tree because there was a tree down from a storm that was blocking my path. As I looked to the left, it was as if my eyes were magnetically drawn to the ground. There was a huge rattlesnake coiled with his head cocked, ready to strike.
If the snake had struck me, there would have been no hope for me. My friend was too far away. I would have died right away as this was an extremely poisonous snake. I had a 12-gauge automatic shotgun with me that I was holding at waist level. Miraculously, the gun was already pointed directly at the snake. I didn’t even have to move the gun! I just had to hold tight and pull the trigger. I shot the snake in the head and killed it. I had been very calm until this point, but realizing the danger I had been in, I began tremble. I wanted to retrieve the rattles (there were 13) to prove this encounter. I picked up the tail—even though the snake was still moving—and broke off the rattles. I put the rattles in my pocket and headed back to the place where I was to meet my friend. I found him resting against a fence post. I showed him the rattles and he said, “Let’s go find it!” We looked for the beech tree and soon spotted the snake. We pulled it out of the swamp because it was too heavy to carry. We draped it over the car bumper and it hung off of both sides. We measured it and it was 6 foot and 3 inches!
When I got home from hunting, I went in to tell my wife about the snake. She said she knew something had happened because she had a terrible feeling that I had been bitten by a snake while I was gone. When she felt this, she got out of bed and went down on her knees to pray for me. I asked her what time she had prayed for me and she said 8:00 a.m. That was the time that I had shot the snake. My wife and I have been married for 66 years, and having a premonition like my wife did that day is extremely unusual for her.
When I remember this day of narrow escape, I just think of how amazing it was that God communicated to my wife that I was in danger and that He answered her prayer for my safety. He intervened on my behalf to save me. This is just one example of the many amazing things God has done in my life. I give Him thanks and praise for the wonderful ways He works in our lives!
A Million God Stories is a Christ-centered ministry which offers a platform for Christians from all streams of Christian faith to give praise for how God has worked in their lives. Christ heals in infinitely creative ways and we acknowledge that His way of helping may differ from person to person.
