The 3:30 AM Call

How a Dream Prevented a Catastrophe

At a recent get-together, someone shared a wild dream that reminded me of an unbelievable moment I experienced in 2011, which I then shared with them. While these weekly writings usually focus on healing and growth, I wanted to take a brief detour to share this remarkable story with you. We’ll return to our regular content next week. Here’s the story:

It was a normal Wednesday night in 2011 when I prepared for bed, nestled into the sheets, and read for a bit before turning off the light. At around 3:30 AM, our home phone rang downstairs, jolting me awake.

As I hurried downstairs, my mind was a whirlwind of questions. What time is it? Who could be calling at this ungodly hour? Is there an emergency with my parents or Jenny’s parents? I snatched the phone, my heart pounding in my chest.

“Hello?!”

On the other end, someone was crying hysterically.

My heart raced faster. Are my kids okay? Is our town in danger? Has there been a nuclear attack on our country?

A voice on the other end cried, “Brandon, it’s Rebecca! Are you alright?!”

Rebecca, my cousin’s wife, who I had known for years but had never been in regular contact with, was on the other end of the line. She had never called me before, and I was surprised to hear her voice. She did not even have our home phone number, which made her call even more unexpected. More questions swirled. Why is she calling me at 3:30 AM? Why is she crying?

“Yeah, I am fine…why?”

She continued sobbing, “Is your family alright?!”

Confused, I replied, “Yeah, everyone here is okay.” Yet, I began to worry that may not be the case. The fear and uncertainty that gripped me in that moment were unlike anything I had ever experienced. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was amiss, which was unsettling.

Her crying intensified: “Because I had a dream, and God told me to call you! As I hesitated, God screamed, ‘It is a matter of life and death!’ I knew I had to call you, no matter the time.”

Tears streamed down my face from the overwhelming emotion of the moment. Even though it seemed to just be a very bizarre dream, after calming down and saying goodbye, I went upstairs to find my wife, Jenny, waiting.

I told her everything, and we were both speechless at such an odd wake-up call. As we tried to settle back to sleep, Jenny suddenly asked, “Brandon, do you smell something? It smells like a burning, electrical smell.”

I smelled it, too, and immediately got up to investigate. I searched every room but found nothing suspicious. Perplexed, we decided to call 911.

“I’m calling because we smell burning in our house but can’t find the source. Can you send the fire department to investigate?”

Jenny woke our kids while I waited for the firefighters outside. Soon, a massive fire engine arrived, sirens blaring. I explained the situation to the fire chief, who inspected our house.

After thoroughly checking each room, the chief asked about our furnace. As I led him downstairs, he quickly identified the problem.

“Well, it’s definitely your heater. The motor is burnt up, and the wires were catching on fire. You were about 30 minutes from a fire in your house.”

The fire chief’s words echoed in my ears, and I couldn’t help but think about the potential devastation that was narrowly avoided. Rebecca’s call saved us from a possible disaster. Was it a coincidence? I don’t know. The odds seem too high for all those elements to add up. While I am usually skeptical of over-spiritualizing things, that mysterious call appears to be a profound moment of divine intervention.

Peace,

Brandon