A self-confessed atheist has become a believer after mocking God by sarcastically praying for his mother to win the lottery.
However, his joke prayer was amazingly answered as the next day his mother won $1 million on the New York Lottery Sweet Million game.
Sal Bentivegna, 28, who did not previously believe in God, had sarcastically asked his mother to "ask your God for a million dollars".
However, his mother Gloria Bentivegna, follows the Catholic faith, and staying true to her belief refused to ask God for such a thing.
Taking his joke further, Sal then prayed out aloud saying, "God, I don't know if you're real or not, but if you are there, please let my mother win a million dollars."
He added, "If Jesus wants me to believe in him, that's what he'll do".
The following day his mother bought a "Lotto Tree" of unscratched instant win tickets from her Church's charity auction. Sal was then left absolutely stunned when he found out his mother had won a million.
Realizing that the odds of his mother winning were so farfetched, Sal has now become a firm believer.
He testified, "I can't shrug off that Jesus had a hand in it."
"No pun intended, but it was a Godsend," he said.
Gloria Bentivegna, reflecting on what had happened, is thankful to God for her winnings, but even more thankful for her son's conversion. She said: "'God performed two miracles, a true miracle."
By winning New York's Sweet Million game, Gloria Bentivegna will now receive $50,000 every year for the next 20 years.
The Lord works in mysterious ways.
Now thats wassup!
But something tells me that not everybody who challenges God like that can be a millionare. If it was possible I would say that prayer every 6 months lol
Great story, God bless her.
Congrats to the Bentivegna family! Mother and son are both winners!
Oh I love this story!! It's called putting a fleece before the Lord!!
Hmm... Well I thought the bible contained numerous verses that pertained to testing God, and that it pissed Him off... Hopefully this reborn christian will beg for forgiveness once he learns.
Or perhaps ever since this world has gone to crap, God decided that He needs to let His presence be known so this plane of debauchery that we call earth can finally adopt some sanity... it is getting awfully close to that 2012 phenomenon...
And I don't mean to force any religious views or beliefs onto any of y'all, for I am a self-proclaimed agnostic, or as my father would say: "half-assed christian." In a "glass is half empty" sort of way...
ok ill give this a go :P
If she'd won without buying tickets, then it'd be impressive.
Ask and it shall be answered...... sometimes yes and sometimes no !
Congrats, let's keep on asking >>>>>
EddessaKnight
My kind of story....love it...They both got blessed!!!!
hmmmph !! ....... I wonder what he'd of said if she hadn't of won all that money
"Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, ‘Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.’"
RL
Its hard to say anything good about this story. I don't like when atheist temp God to bend to
their will by preforming stupid little parlor tricks. just to prove his existence. "if there is a God he'll knock
this glass of water right off the table" or the college professor who claimed that there was no God
and that if there was; he would come knock him off his podium. how much more arrogant can the human race become? He is the Supreme Being and has nothing to prove to you or me. now I can't answer why
this woman won the lottery; but I can say that a million bucks is nothing compared to spending eternity
knowing that your son is in eternal <snip>ation. maybe, he has become a believer I hope so. but he
better quit throwing his little temper tantrums like a 5 year old and start taking our heavenly Father
serious and start showing him a little respect!
I love stories like this........
Isaiah 61:7 "Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs." The mother got 2 blessings her son becoming a believer and $1 million dollars.........
Thank you Jesus!!!!!!!!