Witnessing A Miracle!

Yesterday was the last (non-working) weekday that I could go hiking at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve before I start my new job this coming Monday. I have been hesitant about going alone for this entire week (coz it may not be very safe), but on Thursday night, I made up my mind to do so, at least just once for myself, before I start work again. Surprisingly, after several days of waking up at past 10am, I actually woke up at 6:50am yesterday! I didn't know how come & neither was I expecting something to happen that morning...

It was a sleepy morning, as I dragged myself through the journey there. Honestly, I was looking forward to the hike, but not the long journey there, coz I had to take bus, take MRT, then take bus again, before walking quite far to get there. But little did I know tt God had already planned something in store for me... & the way this was going to happen, is when I'm all by myself, alone.

Honestly, it is a quite a long & troublesome journey to get to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Although it takes slightly more than 1 hour to reach there, having to change several modes of transport in the early morning (considering that I only slept less than 6 hours) can be quite annoying to me. But I really wanted to take this opportunity to do so, before this opportunity becomes more rare...

As I was on the bus towards Bukit Timah Nature Reserve & when it was nearing the place, about 6 - 7 bus stops away, all of the sudden... it started to drizzle! I was startled! In my mind, I was thinking, "Oh no! Have I come all the way here for nothing? Just to go home? Argh... God! Why did You do this to me?!" I was feeling REALLY annoyed coz I had come a long way to get here & just when I'm so close to reaching there, it started to drizzle! And as we all know, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve can be quite slippery if it had just rained. My hopes were dashed!

I prayed to God, "Please stop the rain... Please stop the rain... Please... Please..." But the clouds grew more grey & soon I saw people carrying umbrellas... & I was thinking, "Oh no! Come on, God! I didn't come all the way here for nothing! I feel like a FOOL! Why, God... Why?" And as I sat there in my seat, feeling uptight & angry... the rain started pouring down. It wasn't a very heavy downpour, but it was REALLY raining (no more drizzling). I was like praying, "God! Come on! How come the rain just got heavier? Eh, come on lah..." And the more I thought about it, the more upset I became...

Suddenly, I felt a quiet sense of stubbornness inside & I didn't want to let go of this opportunity to hike. It was like 4 bus stops from where I should alight. So I picked up my hopes & prayed, "God, I really want to hike... & I came all the way from home to do so. I really don't want to go home like this. Its my last chance! I'm starting work soon! Come on, God... I know You can turn this around... I know You can change this... so I'm going to pray in faith that You will stop this rain. Come on, God... just hold the rain for 2 hours... Please..."

It continued to rain, but I didn't want to give up yet. So I started to pray in faith... & I persisted in prayer... I kept praying & praying without ceasing. I told God, "I'm going to pray in faith that You will make this happen... No, I'm going to pray in faith, as if You have ALREADY done it. Yes, God... Thank You for stopping the rain. I praise You & I thank You for stopping the rain. Yes, God... the rain is going to stop so that I can hike. Lord, I praise You for You have answered my prayer. Thank You, Lord. I know You can make this happen. I thank You that You have stopped the rain." And I persisted & persisted, believing that God can make this happen.

The highlight of this hiking trip is NOT the hike itself, but the faith journey that I encountered on my way there! As I continued praying without stopping, I saw that the rain has become less heavy. It was still drizzling, but it wasn't so heavy already. It was about 1 bus stop before I alight from the bus & I was asking myself, "How? Should I get down the bus? Should I go by faith & make the hike? What if the rain doesn't stop? By now, the forest floor would have been damp already... should I still hike? What if I slipped & fell down the slope? Should I still go? Argh, go lah! Pray & go in faith! Even if its raining, I still need to cross over to the other side of the road & take the bus back to the MRT station!"

So I alighted from the bus... & it was still drizzling. I felt so embarassed becoz I was wearing my hiking shoes & some people were looking at me, having this look like - "What is this guy trying to do? Its raining!" I even had to take out my umbrella to shelter myself. All these while, I still kept praying, refusing to give up. Even while walking in the drizzle, in my water-proof hiking shoes... I still prayed... clinging on to whatever faith that I had...

I was praying, "God... Come on... Please stop the rain... or at least just hold it for 1 hour or so... until I finish the hike. Please, God. I'm just clinging on to my faith that You can do this. Will You do this for me? I'm asking You... I'm begging You... Please, God... Please hold the rain..."

As I walked, I noticed that the drizzle started to get lesser... & lesser. When I tried to close my umbrella, I had to open it up again coz there was still a drizzle. I kept praying, "Oh no... Come on, God... You can do this... Will You do this for me? Please? Come on, just hold the rain for 1 hour... just 1 hour will do... Please, God..."

And as I continued walking, I felt a wind blowing... & I was wondering, "What is this about? How come suddenly got wind? The wind is blowing the rain droplets at my face. Hmm..." As I prayed, I began to notice that the clouds were becoming less grey. More clear skies & clouds were appearing! Yippee! Its a sign! So I closed my umbrella & continued to pray in faith, "Thank You for stopping the rain! More sun! Yes, God... More sun!"

And indeed the drizzle soon stopped! Then I realised, "Oh! The wind is blowing the grey clouds away! Wow!" Soon, more & more clear skies appeared & the grey clouds disappeared from sight! There, as I walked, I was thanking God & wondering to myself, "Wow! How did this happen? In a short span of 5 - 10 mins, the rain stopped & the sky cleared? Wow! God, You are amazing!"

By the time I reached that final stretch of road upwards to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the rain had completely stopped & the grey clouds were gone! There was still no sun, but it was all clear skies above! Wow! I tried to be funny & said, "Hey God... while You're at it, why don't You keep the rain away until I reach home?" And I smiled in my heart...

When I reached the toilet to change, there was still parts of the floor outside that was still damp & there was no sun. But God is good... when I changed & came out of the toilet, the sun started to shine down! So I began my hike... & it was amazing becoz the forest ground & soil was dry! It was a safe hike & I thanked God for it!

For some, they may think that its just a stopping of rain... & it has happened before. But to me, its a miracle happening before my very eyes becoz I prayed persistently until it happened... & all these happened in just 10 min!

And guess what? Remember my prayer that God would hold the rain till I reached home? It didn't even rain the whole of yesterday! Thank You, God! =)