On April 15, 2013, my husband’s lifelong dream of running the Boston Marathon became a reality. It was the perfect day for the race—cool temperatures with a cloudless blue sky. Mark hadn’t been feeling well, but there was no way he was going to miss his opportunity to run in the race of his dreams.
I followed the race route as best I could, holding up a sign and cheering him on as he passed. After getting my last glimpse of him before the end of the race, I boarded a train to arrive at the finish line. Disappointment set in when I realized I wouldn’t get there in time to see him cross and take my usual picture. Instead, I would have to wait for him in the family waiting area.
The Boston Marathon Dream Becomes a Nightmare
While standing with the rest of the families and keeping an eye on my phone to see when Mark crossed the finish, I heard a big BOOM. My thoughts immediately went to the worst case scenario. “That sounded like a bomb,” I said to the woman next to me. She said it was just thunder, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. When the next ground shaking boom occurred, I began hurrying toward the finish line to find him. I knew in my heart someone had bombed the race.
According to his tracker, he had crossed the finish line only about 5 minutes before. As I weaved in and out of people, praying for God to protect Mark, I saw him coming towards me and breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. He did not know that just behind where he stood in the chute after crossing, bombs were going off. He, and those around him, thought cannons were being fired as part of the celebration.
In Chaos, He Brings Peace
Then began the adventure of trying to get out of Boston. They shut down public transportation. Cell phones weren’t working. It was chaos all around us. Police, paramedics, and firefighters were running past, all ashen faced and with tears in their eyes. Reports of other bombs planted throughout the city added to everyone’s anxiety. Adding to my anxiety was the fact that my husband had run the race while feeling ill and wasn’t doing any better after such a grueling run. While experiencing all of this, and being concerned that we were still in danger, I saw the hand of God.
As we walked the streets, trying to figure out how to get out of the city and back to our hotel, I witnessed something that made me stop in my tracks. There, in the middle of the sidewalk, was a group of people in a circle, holding hands, praying, and seemingly at peace. As I watched them pray and silently prayed along with them, the peace of God enveloped me. Observing those people praying, and joining in with them, reminded me we were not alone. There, with all the chaotic activity surrounding us, I felt the reassuring presence of God.
He’s Always There
That reminder is something I carry with me daily and is available to all. When we feel distressed by what is going on around us; when we feel powerless and fearful—God is there. He never leaves us. He is the peace amid chaos, the calm in the middle of the storm, always there walking through it with us. We only need to reach out to Him in prayer.
God answered my prayers that day. First, my husband was unhurt. Second, because the train was late, I was kept from being where the bombs exploded. Then, as we prayed for a way out of the city, God provided that, too. A young woman who had spoken with us on the sidewalk came back to find us and said her parents were leaving the city and going right past the town we were staying in. She asked if we would like to ride with them. We said yes, and the kindness of these strangers was God’s answer to our prayers of getting safely out of the city.
I’ll never forget that day, not just because of the bombing, but because that was the day I witnessed first-hand the peace of God amid unbelievable chaos. The same peace I experience today, no matter what is happening, when I reach out to God in prayer. God opened my eyes to His presence that day in Boston, and now I strive to live with them open every day. God is at work in your life, too. All you need to do is look for Him.
For further reflection: The Light is On Psalm 145:18; Philippians 4:4-7; Mark 4:35-41; John 16:33; Hebrews 13:5-6; 1 Peter 5:7
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