---MYSTERIOUS WAYS~~
--MORE THAN COINCIDENCE~

--"MOM! MOM!" My seven-year-old son Jonathan's cries jolted me out of a deep sleep. The sleep of the exhausted. After a long day at work, catching up with my husband and son over dinner, getting Jonathan ready for bed... By the time I'd been able to climb into bed myself, I was totally wiped out. I'd fallen asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The clock on the nightstand read 2:30 A.M. I got up, trying to shake off my grogginess, and hurried down the hall to Jonathan's room. He never had nightmares; he barely stirred in his sleep most nights. It must have been a really bad dream.

It's Okay, sweetheart," I said, sitting on his bed and taking him in my arms. "What happened? What woke you up?"

In a shaky voice, he told me. He'd dreamed the TV was on and an emergency alert started blaring. He'd woken up, convinced our family was in danger. He knew the sound and what it meant. He's heard it often enough during tornado season. Alerts from the National Weather Service would interrupt whatever we were watching with a series of piercing beeps. Like a lot of kids, Jonathan would mimic the sound after the warning had passed. But there was no way he could've heard it now. The house was silent. Our only TV was in the living room, and it was off.

"Don't worry, Jonathan," I said. "We're all safe. It was just a dream." I held him close, reminding him that God watches over us while we sleep. Then I smelled something. What was that? Hot tea? No. Wait. Burning tea!

I'd thrown some tea bags in a pot of boiling water to steep a few hours before, so I'd have iced tea ready in the morning. I'd forgotten to turn off the burner! I must have been more tired than I realized. "I need to check something in the kitchen," I said, keeping my voice even so I wouldn't frighten Jonathan further.

I ran to the kitchen. The pot was sitting on the stove, wisps of smoke swirling from it. The water was long gone. The tea bags were smoldering. The bottom of the pot was charred black, perhaps seconds away from bursting into flames. I turned off the burner, grabbed some tongs and pushed the pot off the stove.

The emergency alert had sounded in my son's dream just in time. Or was He awakened by Someone who knew we needed to stop a house fire?

--We must always count our blessings. The Lord works in ways that we do not even realize. He's with us at all times. Let's be sure to listen to His 'still small voice.' ~~

--In His Arms~~