Ben Carson pulled himself up from poverty and prejudice with the encouragement of his mother. He became a world-renowned brain surgeon after years of study and work. When Ben first began college, he struggled with chemistry being especially hard for him. As the chemistry final approached, he prayed.
"Finally I turned to God. 'I need help,' I prayed. 'Being a doctor is all I've ever wanted to do, and now it looks like I can't. And, Lord, I've always had the impression You wanted me to be a doctor. I've worked hard and focused my life that way, assuming that's what I was going to do. But if I fail chemistry I'm going to have to find something else to do. Please help me know what else I should do. Either help me understand what kind of work I ought to do, or else perform some kind of miracle and help me to pass this exam.'" (Ben studied for a few more hours and then fell asleep.)
"While I slept I had a strange dream, and when I awakened in the morning, it remained as vivid as if it had actually happened. In the dream I was sitting in the chemistry lecture hall, the only person there. The door opened, and a nebulous figure walked into the room, stopped at the board, and started working out chemistry problems. I took notes of everything he wrote. When I awakened, I recalled most of the problems, and I hurriedly wrote them down before they faded from memory."
"At last, heart pounding, I opened the booklet and read the first problem. Hurriedly I skimmed through the booklet, laughing silently, confirming what I suddenly knew. The exam problems were identical to those written by the shadowy dream figure in my sleep. 'God, You pulled off a miracle,' I told Him as I left the classroom. 'And I make a promise to You that I'll never put You into that situation again.'"
"I walked around campus for over an hour, elated, yet needing to be alone, wanting to figure out what had happened. The only explanation just blew me away. The one answer was humbling in its simplicity. For whatever reason, The God of the universe, the God who holds galaxies in His hands, had seen a reason to reach down to a campus room on Planet Earth and send a dream to a discouraged ghetto kid who wanted to become a doctor. I gasped at the sure knowledge of what had happened. I felt small and humble. Finally I laughed out loud, remembering that the Bible records such events, though they were few--times where God gave specific answers and directions to His people. God had done it for me in the twentieth century."
(Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story pgs. 77-80)
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