The Four-Leaf Clover, The Train Whistle, Page 41 -By Karen Rowe

My daughter, Amanda, was only four at this time when my dad was in the hospital battling for his life. I took her to the park, where there was fresh air, green grass, and a play-set. As we were walking toward the swings, Amanda wanted to stop and look for four-leaf clovers. We sat down where we were and searched that small area in which we were sitting. Emotionally drained, I concentrated on the area between my legs and the general area that I could reach, but there were no four-leaf clovers to be found.

We had been looking for a while in the same small, isolated area of grass between our legs with no success. Honestly, there were no natural four-leaf clovers to be found. I had combed through all of the same grass over and over again with my fingers and meticulously searched the grass in this small area in which I was looking. I told my daughter that four-leaf clovers are hard to find, but she insisted we keep looking. So I did, hoping to find a tiny, hidden clover.

After a couple more minutes of exploring the grass, and with my head already bowed, I just closed my eyes without moving at all and said a prayer from my heart to God.

I prayed to God for my dad and for strength for my family.  As I prayed, I sensed my prayer being answered. I sensed the warmth of peace and joy inside of me. God, again, left his message that my dad was going to be okay. I was so calm and with my head still bowed, I just opened my eyes without making a single movement.

When I opened my eyes, there was the most beautiful, perfect four-leaf clover towering tall above the grass. There was nothing tiny about it. It stood about an inch above the groomed grass. I could have seen this awesome clover just by walking by, and yet it was not visible to me in a small area while in a sitting position with a direct view. It was not there before I prayed, but God put it there in perfect form as a sign, not only of his perfect love, but he was also comforting me with a message that my dad was going to be okay.

I was in awe to see God’s power firsthand and was so excited. This gift was indescribably amazing -it was a blessing.  I showed it to Amanda, and we briefly talked about God and what he had done. We thanked God. Then we decided to take the clover to show Grandma and Grandpa.  I had limited knowledge at this time, but I knew enough to know that God had done something very special for me, and I knew that there was a special message. I excitedly picked the clover for my dad and my mom for them to see. I could hardly wait to get back to the hospital room to show my mom and dad this heavenly clover and to tell them about God’s message.

Amanda and I practically ran back to the hospital, picking wildflowers along the way because she wanted a bouquet of flowers to take to Grandma and Grandpa. However, when we got to the room, a lot of things were going on, and my dad was in a lot of pain, but I knew that God was there, and in God’s time, my dad would have better days.

My dad was not able to even sit up or even turn over due to excruciating pain from a staph infection in his spine. However, the next day after God had given me the four-leaf clover, to everyone’s surprise, my dad was out of the bed, down the hall, enjoying a different view, smiling, laughing, telling jokes, and thanking God for all that God had done for him.

It is an awesome privilege to be loved by God. I cannot thank God enough for all that he has done throughout my entire life.

Sometimes I wonder why we are so surprised that God makes promises and keeps his promises. He does not let us down, but we can lose our direction in many different ways, including by putting our own expectations and time limits on God’s plans. We should not be discouraged because God is listening and is never far away.

I believe that it is important to know that even though I had received an amazing blessing directly from God, and most of me expected a miracle, part of me still questioned if I had interpreted God’s message correctly. I had no doubts that God was conveying that my dad was going to be okay; I just did not know for sure if God meant in heaven or on earth. Either way my dad was being taken care of by God and I had faith that my dad would be better.

I continued to pray for a miracle, and each time I prayed for my dad and sensed God’s grace with me, the very next day, or sometimes the same day, he was better by leaps and bounds. Even the doctors gave God the credit for my dad’s miraculous recoveries.

I did not always feel the same overwhelming essence with every prayer as these that I am explaining, but we should not be discouraged because God is listening and is never far away. I feel blessed to have such a powerful and loving God who loves us and gives us strength and guides us by faith.