Supernatural Peace

One of the scariest things that has ever happened to me, turned into a testimony of God’s supernatural intervention! I will never forget His faithfulness, and it has shaped the foundation of my personal trust relationship with Him!

In 2001, I went on a missions trip to the Ukraine and Slovakia with a team of Bible College students. We saw demonstrations of God’s power and miracles throughout the whole trip, but this was just the beginning. After my team left to go back home, I stayed in Europe and went on a personal mission of my own, back packing to a few more countries to visit my relatives and share the Lord with them. Little did I know how much I would need God, or how dangerous this would be!

I was a young women in my 20’s, travelling alone. This was not yet the age of everyone having cell phones, internet, or map quest! I had to take leaps of faith into all sorts of uncertainties. God was with me in everything. One time, part of my luggage was stolen, and God lead me to find my treasured journal that was randomly dumped, the one thing in my stolen bag that I really cared about! Another time I didn’t have the money for the fare of my train, and I went to pay in faith, even though I knew I didn’t have the funds. I was shocked when the ticket master said, “It’s paid” and then gave me the ticket! I am baffled to this day at the way God intervened, sending random strangers who helped me, and making a way when I walked blindly, not knowing where I was going. The biggest challenge, however, was yet to come!

I had to board a train from Spain to Germany, and as I approached, I got this awful feeling in my gut. The Lord gave me a heads up that something was not right. I entered the train, and got to my room. It was filled with ruthless young people partying. They shouted at me and said I couldn’t stay there. Finally the conductor checked tickets, the intruders were kicked off the train and I was able to go back to my room. It was a sleeper bunkie, and I breathed a sigh of relief that I had it all to myself. After arranging my luggage and getting ready for the night, I was preparing to go to sleep, when suddenly I heard a rustling from under the bottom bunkie. I froze with fear!

Minutes passed by which felt like an eternity as I waited, knowing I wasn’t alone in the room. Then suddenly, a young man jumped out from under the bunkie, quickly ran and locked the door, and closed all the blinds in the room. He came right up to me, inches from my face. When finding out I didn’t speak his language, in broken English he communicated that he was hiding, and did an angry gesture that seemed like he was threatening to harm me if I tried to tell on him! He turned off the lights and then climbed next to me on the top bunkie, an uncomfortably tight space where he could easily stop me if I tried to leave.

It was completely pitch dark in the cabin. Tears of fear burst out of my eyes. I was completely numb and in shock! I couldn’t scream, move, or do anything, except…call out to God for help. I had to make a choice whether to try and escape or not. Thoughts raced through my mind. Was he going to hurt me? Was he a criminal? Did he have a gun? Was he going to hold me captive? I knew God’s promise was to help me in time of need, and this was the chance for me to find out whether or not God is faithful to His Word!

After I silently prayed, what came over me, to my complete and utter surprise, was this wonderful, unmistakable peace of God. All fear left, and I received this knowing in my spirit that I was going to be safe! It was such a heavy blanket of peace, that I actually rolled over, shut my eyes, and fell asleep, and miraculously slept the entire night! When I woke up the next morning, I was totally unharmed and my luggage was untouched. He was still beside me, but within a few minutes, when the train stopped, he jumped up and left the cabin, and I never saw him again.

Never could I have imagined that I would ever feel peace in such a disturbing situation, and even sleep through it. It was truly a testimony of God’s supernatural peace, His closeness, His realness in time of trouble. He was faithful to His word in Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever- present help in trouble”. The more you get to know God, the more you will discover that He is such an amazing Protector, and is Faithful to His promises. Your life is in His hands and you do not have to ever be afraid when you are in a relationship with the Almighty!

Blessings, Tina Peard