Miracle Story | Daily Prayers Are Powerful - Episode 24
Key Takeaways
- Consistent daily prayers establish a lifestyle of faith, moving believers beyond frantic, last-minute pleas during a crisis.
- Nancy Jackson shares a profound testimony of how God miraculously protected her daughter during a horrific highway crash on Halloween night.
- Faith-based prayers and trusting God completely can yield miraculous outcomes even in the most perilous situations.
- While tragedies raise difficult questions, maintaining a steadfast commitment to prayer remains essential for every believer.
I am not sure of the exact date of this miracle, but I know my grandson was around a year old. This miracle is one my daughter experienced.
As I have said several times, I always, and still do, trust God with my children, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren. Not that I don’t pray for them, I do. I am frequently in prayer for them. But prayer isn’t enough. Yes, you heard me. Prayer isn’t enough. We must pray in faith, believing.
Panicked, last-minute prayers are often the norm. We are grasping at straws, crying out in desperation to God for help. He hears those prayers, and in compassion for us, he often answers them. Our anxiety level is at its peak, and we are frantic and frantically praying.
I have prayed that way. We all have. But I believe that a lifestyle of praying, believing that God has heard and is answering those prayers, is a much better way to live.
Roughly 1998 or 99, again I don’t remember the exact date, my daughter had left the house one Saturday night. I remember it was Halloween. As most young adults do, they leave late in the evening to start their nightlife. It was somewhere around 8 or 9 in the evening. She was driving to her older brother's house, which was about 20 miles away.
The road was mostly interstate highways with heavy in-city traffic. I was home with her son, who was about a year old or so. Not long after she had left, I would say about 15 minutes, I got a call. We did not have cell phones then, but my cordless handset had caller ID. It was rudimentary back then and would sometimes scroll across the small screen.
I looked and knew it was some type of police or emergency service. My first thought was to wonder what my youngest son had done. He was mischievous, and my first thought had been to assume he had gotten himself into a mess. Let me emphasize here that I didn’t feel any panic when I looked at the caller ID.
When I answered the call, the voice on the other end said, “I am with EMSA (our emergency ambulance service) and your daughter is here with me. She is okay, but we need you to come pick her up. She has been in a wreck.”
I still didn’t panic. They said she was fine, and had she not been, they would have been taking her to a hospital, not calling me to come pick her up. I asked where she was, and they told me. It was one of the largest interstate crossings in OKC.
Since my grandson was asleep, I called my best friend at the time and asked her to come help me. She had two young teen boys, and they stayed there while my grandson slept.
I rode with my friend to get my daughter. When we got to the nearest on-ramp to the highway, traffic was backed up for miles. We had tried a few other streets, but there was no way we could get anywhere close.
There was an officer at the on-ramp stopping cars and having them turn around. He attempted to do the same with us until I told him I had been called to come and get my daughter. That was a blessing because I had been wondering how on earth I was going to get there midst all the traffic pile up.
He asked for some ID then radioed ahead to inquire. They confirmed they had called, and yes, I was to come to the crash site. We drove on the shoulder and finally could get to the ambulance where she was. Her car was a crumpled ball, burned black by fire. On the other side of the highway was a semi-truck, also wrecked and burned.
She was in a panic and glad to see me. On the way home, she told me the story. Here it is, the best I can remember, and trust me, it is one I will never forget.
She was driving south on the highway I-44. There was a slight drizzling rain as she drove. She was in the center lane. A semi-truck pulled up beside her, and she could tell it was moving left into her lane. With so much traffic, she couldn’t speed up or slow down to give him room, so she moved one lane over to the left.
But he continued to move left. She continued moving to the left to avoid him. Finally she had nowhere left to go as there was a concrete barrier to her left. He didn’t see her car until suddenly he did. When he did, he slammed on his brakes, causing the large semi to jackknife on the wet pavement.
When it jackknifed hurtling 70 miles an hour down the road and caught my daughter’s car in the bend where the diesel tank was. The diesel tank exploded, and they were then both hurtling down the highway locked together, on fire.
She said that when she saw he was about to hit her and then felt the impact, she cried out to God, “Help me, I’m going to die now!” She immediately heard, “No, you’re not. Just shut your eyes and hang on.” So she did.
When the movement stopped, she heard, “Open your eyes, unbuckle your seatbelt, and get out of the car.” And she did.
She and her car were on the left exit ramp heading to I-40 East. The truck was on the right exit ramp heading to I-40 West. At some point they had popped apart and gone their separate ways. I believe that in this entire situation God was honoring my lifelong daily prayers to watch over my daughter. He was also honoring her prayers because she was a praying young woman.
Her car, a Nissan Altima, was curled up in a wrecked ball, like when you crumple aluminum foil into a ball, and it was burned black from the diesel tank exploding and burning. But when you looked inside, you could see what appeared to be an invisible protective bubble around the driver’s side seat where my daughter had been.
The backseat where my grandson’s car seat had been was completely bent forward, crushed inward up to her passenger seat back. The rest of the car was equally crushed inward, but not at all where she had sat. The front of the car was also crushed inward towards her, but stopped where she had sat. The steering wheel that God had told her to hang onto was also not moved or damaged at all.
The fire department was still putting out the fire on the semi-truck when I got there. And unfortunately, he died in the accident. That demonstrates just how bad the wreck had been. Father God divinely protected my daughter, and even though she had a hairline crack in her wrist where she had held onto the steering wheel too tightly, she walked away unscathed.
However, she carried years of survivor’s guilt from her coming away protected and healthy while the truck driver perished.
We had pictures of her car for a long time. I lost track of where they were. My daughter may have found them, and she may now have them. But from time to time I would look at them and be in awe of what God had done.
There will always be questions when something like this happens. Why did God protect one while another died? I don’t believe that God is a respecter of persons, and I don’t believe he loves one more that another. However, I know he honors faith and faith-based prayers.
I remember several years earlier, after God answered many of my prayers to heal my father, and he did so with miracles. Until he didn’t. He even spared me the effort and hope of praying by saying my dad would go home this time.
Again, I don’t know why. Is it true that it is sometimes just our time to go? Maybe. Is it that it may save someone or something further down the road? Maybe. I don’t have an answer for those and many more questions.
But I know I will never stop praying and believing. I didn’t pray over my daughter before she left that night, but I had prayed for her for years and for her protection daily, still do. I believe God saw and answered.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the focus of Miracle Story on The Story & More podcast?
Miracle Story features personal stories of miracles Nancy Jackson has experienced and witnessed in her life.
How do daily prayers impact challenging situations?
Daily prayers build a foundation of faith, aligning our lives with God and inviting His divine protection and intervention during emergencies.
What miracle is discussed in Episode 24?
Episode 24 details a severe highway accident involving Nancy's daughter, whose car was destroyed in a semi-truck collision and fire, yet she walked away virtually unharmed due to divine protection.
Miracle Story | Daily Prayers Are Powerful - Episode 24
I am not sure of the exact date of this miracle, but I know my grandson was around a year old. This miracle is one my daughter experienced.
As I have said several times, I always, and still do, trust God with my children, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren. Not that I don’t pray for them, I do. I am frequently in prayer for them. But prayer isn’t enough. Yes, you heard me. Prayer isn’t enough. We must pray in faith, believing.
Panicked, last-minute prayers are often the norm. We are grasping at straws, crying out in desperation to God for help. He hears those prayers, and in compassion for us, he often answers them. Our anxiety level is at its peak, and we are frantic and frantically praying.
I have prayed that way. We all have. But I believe that a lifestyle of praying, believing that God has heard and is answering those prayers, is a much better way to live.
Roughly 1998 or 99, again I don’t remember the exact date, my daughter had left the house one Saturday night. I remember it was Halloween. As most young adults do, they leave late in the evening to start their nightlife. It was somewhere around 8 or 9 in the evening. She was driving to her older brother's house, which was about 20 miles away.
The road was mostly interstate highways with heavy in-city traffic. I was home with her son, who was about a year old or so. Not long after she had left, I would say about 15 minutes, I got a call. We did not have cell phones then, but my cordless handset had caller ID. It was rudimentary back then and would sometimes scroll across the small screen.
I looked and knew it was some type of police or emergency service. My first thought was to wonder what my youngest son had done. He was mischievous, and my first thought had been to assume he had gotten himself into a mess. Let me emphasize here that I didn’t feel any panic when I looked at the caller ID.
When I answered the call, the voice on the other end said, “I am with EMSA (our emergency ambulance service) and your daughter is here with me. She is okay, but we need you to come pick her up. She has been in a wreck.”
I still didn’t panic. They said she was fine, and had she not been, they would have been taking her to a hospital, not calling me to come pick her up. I asked where she was, and they told me. It was one of the largest interstate crossings in OKC.
Since my grandson was asleep, I called my best friend at the time and asked her to come help me. She had two young teen boys, and they stayed there while my grandson slept.
I rode with my friend to get my daughter. When we got to the nearest on-ramp to the highway, traffic was backed up for miles. We had tried a few other streets, but there was no way we could get anywhere close.
There was an officer at the on-ramp stopping cars and having them turn around. He attempted to do the same with us until I told him I had been called to come and get my daughter. That was a blessing because I had been wondering how on earth I was going to get there midst all the traffic pile up.
He asked for some ID then radioed ahead to inquire. They confirmed they had called, and yes, I was to come to the crash site. We drove on the shoulder and finally could get to the ambulance where she was. Her car was a crumpled ball, burned black by fire. On the other side of the highway was a semi-truck, also wrecked and burned.
She was in a panic and glad to see me. On the way home, she told me the story. Here it is, the best I can remember, and trust me, it is one I will never forget.
She was driving south on the highway I-44. There was a slight drizzling rain as she drove. She was in the center lane. A semi-truck pulled up beside her, and she could tell it was moving left into her lane. With so much traffic, she couldn’t speed up or slow down to give him room, so she moved one lane over to the left.
But he continued to move left. She continued moving to the left to avoid him. Finally she had nowhere left to go as there was a concrete barrier to her left. He didn’t see her car until suddenly he did. When he did, he slammed on his brakes, causing the large semi to jackknife on the wet pavement.
When it jackknifed hurtling 70 miles an hour down the road and caught my daughter’s car in the bend where the diesel tank was. The diesel tank exploded, and they were then both hurtling down the highway locked together, on fire.
She said that when she saw he was about to hit her and then felt the impact, she cried out to God, “Help me, I’m going to die now!” She immediately heard, “No, you’re not. Just shut your eyes and hang on.” So she did.
When the movement stopped, she heard, “Open your eyes, unbuckle your seatbelt, and get out of the car.” And she did.
She and her car were on the left exit ramp heading to I-40 East. The truck was on the right exit ramp heading to I-40 West. At some point they had popped apart and gone their separate ways. I believe that in this entire situation God was honoring my lifelong daily prayers to watch over my daughter. He was also honoring her prayers because she was a praying young woman.
Her car, a Nissan Altima, was curled up in a wrecked ball, like when you crumple aluminum foil into a ball, and it was burned black from the diesel tank exploding and burning. But when you looked inside, you could see what appeared to be an invisible protective bubble around the driver’s side seat where my daughter had been.
The backseat where my grandson’s car seat had been was completely bent forward, crushed inward up to her passenger seat back. The rest of the car was equally crushed inward, but not at all where she had sat. The front of the car was also crushed inward towards her, but stopped where she had sat. The steering wheel that God had told her to hang onto was also not moved or damaged at all.
The fire department was still putting out the fire on the semi-truck when I got there. And unfortunately, he died in the accident. That demonstrates just how bad the wreck had been. Father God divinely protected my daughter, and even though she had a hairline crack in her wrist where she had held onto the steering wheel too tightly, she walked away unscathed.
However, she carried years of survivor’s guilt from her coming away protected and healthy while the truck driver perished.
We had pictures of her car for a long time. I lost track of where they were. My daughter may have found them, and she may now have them. But from time to time I would look at them and be in awe of what God had done.
There will always be questions when something like this happens. Why did God protect one while another died? I don’t believe that God is a respecter of persons, and I don’t believe he loves one more that another. However, I know he honors faith and faith-based prayers.
I remember several years earlier, after God answered many of my prayers to heal my father, and he did so with miracles. Until he didn’t. He even spared me the effort and hope of praying by saying my dad would go home this time.
Again, I don’t know why. Is it true that it is sometimes just our time to go? Maybe. Is it that it may save someone or something further down the road? Maybe. I don’t have an answer for those and many more questions.
But I know I will never stop praying and believing. I didn’t pray over my daughter before she left that night, but I had prayed for her for years and for her protection daily, still do. I believe God saw and answered.
This study is a culmination of this week’s Monday Meditation and the Wednesday Word Study. By drilling down on specific scriptures and then specific words, we can begin to gain a better understanding of the Word of God and therefore apply it to our lives more accurately. The Friday Finally episodes take both the Monday Meditation and Wednesday Word Study and pull them together for an overall teaching to equip and train us for a more Godly and beneficial life.
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