The  picture burnt on the bathroom-wall is a manifestation

When God helps …

In 2007 on fifth of December a Wednesday afternoon, I was heading to Bible lesson after I had finished working. My wife, who was not a member in the community at that time, and my 15-month-old son were at home and were waiting for me to get home.

In that period it was really hard to make understood for my wife how important God is in my life and the pursuit towards Christian way of life.

Of course, before the Bible lesson I turned my phone silent and put it down its usual place.

The lesson, as it was usual, gave me a lot of experience. Our leader transmitted God’s word in his own passionate way which enraptured me as usual. Since I am called on phone all day, because of my job and my family was in my mind too, my first way was to my phone as soon as the lesson had finished.

Seventeen missed calls!

This could not have been surprising because I have so much call-circulation any day in two hours but it was uncommon to get all of the calls from my wife.

I got excited because she knew where I was and she does not call during Bible lessons. I called her back immediately. It rang over once, twice, three times but there was no answer. I called again and again but nothing happened.

I got worried but at the same time I felt an unexplainable sense of security. I had inside that God ensures every condition for those who search for Him, look after my family while I learn walking on the way which leads to Him.

I got into the elevator with our leader and his family and tried to call my wife. I succeeded.

She was confused, she said that there had been a fire but they were fine. I could not remember any more things she had said. Thank to God I still was feeling that sense of security.

Saying good bye to my fellows, my leader told me to call him to tell what had happened.

I got into my car and drove home. I was not driving fast although many thoughts were in my mind. But one thought among many others started to repress the rest. If God takes care of my family, while I listen to His word and there is a fire, then there must be a message in the story. I was getting closer to our sublease which was a run down flat in a run down environs.

As soon as I arrived the sight was heart-breaking. Three fire-engines, many people, wreathing black smog in the air were everywhere. In front of our staircase a fireman stopped me, I told him who I was and he let me in. The electricity had been switched off; the whole staircase was dark and smoky. Having stepped into the flat, I came across another fireman. My wife and son were in the bedroom; I got there and hugged them. My wife, clearly, was tormented.

As I made sure they were in good health I turned to the firemen. It turned out that the oil-radiator in the bathroom (which was brand new) had been switched on as my wife was going to give a bath to my son.

The radiator caught on fire while they were in the living room taking off my son’s clothes. When they opened the bathroom-door they saw fire and concentrated smog, they escaped to the staircase and rang one of our neighbour’s doorbells.

A fireman asked me who had put out the fire. My wife replied she had not because they escaped out immediately. But the fire was put out by someone said the fireman because the fire had not spread in the bathroom despite having many inflammable material over and by the oil radiator.

This was the moment when I felt that I experienced one of the unbelievable miracles of the Providence.

The fire brigades left, every window was opened and I got into the bathroom to see the place of the fire soundly. I got a torch and entered into our green-painted bathroom.

Everything was full of soot. The oil radiator stood carbonized; under it there was a black burnt mark on the linoleum. I looked at its shape to catch a form of something in it because I was totally sure I would recognize a sign, a sign of God’s grace. I could not see anything else apart from formless plastic. I swept with my torch on the wall and such a wonderful scene unfolded before me that my knees gave way.

I am not ashamed to confess I cried. I was just sitting on the edge of our bath and holding the torch to focus on a half metre of wall-part.

Everybody can decide what they see from the picture burnt on the wall.

For me and those who saw it showed a shape of a woman praying unambiguously.

The picture was unequivocal, the contours could be seen sharp.

I immediately called our leader and my fellows and shared my experience with them by taking a photo of the picture and sending them via MMS.

In that situation I strongly felt I do not have questions in connection with the existence of God and His Providence because we experienced concentrated evidence.

We protected the formation with a foil for a long time but after moving out from that flat I must have realized this alliance of God must live in my heart like the rainbow at Noah. I do not want to compare myself to Noah because the point is not the person because God bends down to every of His children.

Now, as I am writing these lines I am feeling myself as Gedeon who asked a sign from God and when he got it he asked a sign again as a confirmation and he got that too.

So, after all of these why do not I have a faith without conditions? What is my evidence? Not the picture on the wall, not even the escape of my family.

Looking back to it, the sense of security and patience are my evidence which were given by God and is given to anyone who looks for Him.

There will be many fires and wars but if you are able to feel God’s greatness and His power’s eternity, you will understand that nobody can hurt you while you make effort to engrave God’s word in your heart.

                                           Gábor Gédert