13 Red-tailed Hawks ~ A testimony of yesterday's miracle.

Originally written on February 12, 2020

My close family and friends know that I have a love of Red-tailed Hawks. When I see one, I believe that God is pleased with my thoughts… or sometimes they are a sign that all is well and He is near.

Yesterday was my mom’s birthday, so I made a plan to drive from Hillsdale to the Old York Church in the countryside of Fremont, IN to see her and partake in the Bible study that would be happening. On my drive, I saw three Red-tailed Hawks from Hillsdale to York. When I left the church, driving from Fremont to Quincy, MI, I asked the Lord to show me another Red-tailed Hawk. I was barely away from the church when one fly in front of my van from the branches of a young tree. This more than warmed my heart to know the Lord could hear my little request.

As I continued driving, I called a friend who I had just seen at Bible study to fill her in on some news I had not told her while we were together. As I spoke to her, two more Red-tailed Hawks were soaring above the road I was on. If you are keeping count, that is SIX RED-TAILS, as I like to call them.

As my journey continued from Fremont to Quincy, I called another friend to talk to them about a few things. As we spoke, another Red-tail crossed my path. At this point I am beyond overflowing with AWE of our Lord. My conversation with this friend continued as I waited in the parking lot of my son’s school. Guess what?! A Red-tail flew in front of me while in town! If you know anything about this glorious bird, they are not often spotted inside city limits.

I want you to keep in mind, all of these sightings are occurring within a short span of time… The total number of sightings is 8 within three hours!

The highlight of my day is picking up my son from school. After bidding my friend goodbye on the phone, I ran into the school to retrieve Brogan and head back to our farm. As he and I were leaving town, I told him about all the Red-tailed Hawks I had seen. He always shares in my delight of these beautiful creatures. I am not even kidding about what happened next. As we were talking, three more Red-tails flew over us, and this time Brogan was able to see them!

That’s right! At this point, within three and a half hours, I saw 11 Red-tailed Hawks!

Once we were home, I decided to go outside to clean the stable and feed the farm animals a little early. I do not typically do this, but I felt driven to. As I was in the barn yard, I caught sight of two more Red-tails playfully swooping above the field just to the east of me. I stood and watched them for several minutes. Soon they disappeared over the tree line, and something inside of me stirred. I prayed out loud a request for a sign on a specific choice I want to make in my life. I prayed to the Lord that minute and asked Him to bring the Red-tails back over the trees and to have them come close to me. Within a minute, the pair reappeared and one of them flew straight towards my barn and passed just overhead. My prayer was answered within MINUTES!

The Lord hears us, and the closer we are in our relationship with Him, the more intimate it becomes. This occurrence was a miracle… not coincidence. To see 13 Red-tailed Hawks in very difference areas of my journey and in less than 4.5 hours is Heaven sent.

Amen.