One of the most awesome miracles Jesus performs in the Gospels is the Calming of the Storm at sea. Awestruck, the disciples famously say: “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:27). The stories below demonstrate that God works incredible wonders by land and by sea, sending His angelic messengers to rescue people from the perils of the ocean. Be similarly awestruck—and filled with sublime wonder—as you discover the presence of the divine in beaches throughout the world.

  1. The Miraculous Rescue of a Sitcom Star

One summer day, when legendary actor Dick Van Dyke was a young man, he paddled out into the Atlantic seeking an adventure. But the calmness of the ocean, coupled with the heat of the sun, made him doze off on his surfboard. Sometime later, when a splash awoke him, Dick discovered—to his shock—that he was floating in the middle of the ocean. When menacing, triangular fins began circling around him, he braced himself for the worst. Then, one of the creatures popped its head above the water. Dick couldn’t believe his eyes—or what happened next…

  1. Brought Safely to Shore By Ocean Angels

During a family get-together at the beach, Kristina and her uncle Peter decided to go for a swim. Having started to regain her strength and energy after suffering from numerous illnesses, Kristina felt excited to wade in the water. But then a strong undercurrent began to overtake her. She tried to fight the waves, but to no avail. I may not be sick anymore, she thought helplessly, but I’m not strong enough for this! Find out about the divine deliverance that reinforced Kristina’s belief in a good and faithful God.

  1. A Maui Rescue

“Have you ever had an encounter with an angel?” The pastor’s out-of-the-blue question transported Ronald back to Christmas Day many years before, when he and his wife, Judy, were vacationing in Maui. “Help! Ronnie!” Ronald had spotted Judy in the distance, struggling against the waves. They’d been snorkeling together, and it appeared that she’d swam too far. Now, when Ronald shared with his pastor his wife’s miraculous rescue that day on the beach, he was puzzled when Judy interrupted. “That’s not the way it happened at all,” she said. Discover what Judy had to say—and how the miracle in Maui reinforced her and her husband’s belief in the presence of angels in our lies.

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