People say I am an old man — and, in fact, I am 92. One evening in 2016, the year my wife, Martha, died, I was sitting in the living room and prayed to God: It is lonesome down here. Are you really here with us, as you say that you are? I would like an indication of your presence.
I got up and went to bed. Soon a terrific sight appeared. A banner about 8 inches high and 4 or 5 feet long in beautiful blue came in through my bedroom door and went up across the dresser. The banner was blank for some time, moving slowly, and I wondered: What is this? Suddenly one word appeared in beautiful white: “theophany.” I sat up and looked at the word. I hadn’t used that word often, and I wanted to be sure of its meaning. I got up and checked in the dictionary, and it said, “the manifestation of a deity.”
I have talked to many people about this, witnessing to the existence of the presence of God. God is not dead. He is alive. The answer to my prayer came almost instantly. God had not spoken to me in this way before. It was a great joy at the close of my ministry, an affirmation of God’s blessing upon my life and faith.
A. Don Augsburger
Harrisonburg, Va.
Have a comment on this story? Write to the editors. Include your full name, city and state. Selected comments will be edited for publication in print or online.