NASCAR driver felt called him to pray, angels ‘pushed cars out of the way’ in horrendous crash
By Mark Ellis
He
grew up with little self-confidence, but after God took control of his
life he gained the courage to pursue his dreams – and a lifestyle filled
with adrenalin-fueled adventures.
“I
was raised in a mainstream church and didn’t have a personal
relationship with the Lord,” says Robert Bakke, author of “Prayer at
Full Throttle.”
He
also suffered from an inferiority complex. “I was the scrawniest kid in
my school and the last one picked for gym class,” he recalls. “I didn’t
have a lot of self-confidence.”
Bakke
felt somewhat lost as he entered college, and was put off by people who
tried to tell him what he should or should not believe. He had never
read the Bible for himself, but one day, he started to read the New
Testament and the power of God’s Word bowled him over.
“I
couldn’t understand why they didn’t teach this stuff in church,” says
Bakke. The Word and the Spirit transformed his heart and revolutionized
his thinking as he was born again.
“It
was the most encouraging and powerful information I had ever laid my
eyes on. It completely changed what I thought about God, myself, and my
capabilities. When I had finished reading it, I truly believed that with
God’s help I could accomplish anything.”
Bakke
had a successful business career after college, then he began to pursue
more exciting dreams God planted in his heart. He became a jet captain
and aerobatic flight instructor and a black belt in karate.
Six years ago, he began to pursue his dream to become a race car driver, something he wanted to do since childhood.
On a Sunday in September, 2012, Bakke found himself out-of-town, driving a rental car on his way to get dinner.
He
glanced at his watch and noticed it was about 7:00, the exact time his
racing friend, Rylee Michaelson, was about to start a race.
He
decided he would lift up a certain prayer for Rylee that he often uses
before his own races. “Help her to run fast and clean and keep her
safe….”
He
got halfway through the prayer but couldn’t continue. A wave of
unaccustomed emotion hit him and he began to weep, with large drops
running down his cheeks.
Then he cried out: “God, release your angels to go to Rylee at the speed of lightning!”
Bakke had never prayed or even thought of uttering such a phrase. Where did that come from? he wondered.Why am I so emotional?
He
started to pray his customary pre-race prayer once more for Rylee, but
again became so overwhelmed by his feelings he had to stop.
Bakke
went into the restaurant shaking his head, wondering what it all meant.
After dinner, he got into his rental car, and was driving to his hotel
when he got an urgent phone call. “Rylee had a bad crash and the car
flipped…” the caller began.
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