Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

The novel is narrated by Reuben Land, an eleven-year-old boy suffering from severe asthma who lives with his unusual family in a small Minnesota town in 1962. His mother abandoned the family years before; his younger sister and best friend, Swede, writes epic poetry at age eight; and his father, Jeremiah, a school janitor, is a man of faith who quietly performs miracles – one of which is to bring Reuben to life after he is born dead.
The Lands' quiet lives are disrupted one night when Reuben's older brother Davy kills two intruders(Israel Finch and Tommy Basca) and is charged with murder. When he escapes from jail during his trial, the Lands leave home to go in search of him.
They go first to their best friend August Schultz's farm after receiving a discreet post card hinting that Davy might be there. When they arrive, however, they find Davy has left but also receive an update on him. From there they continue on the road. As they search, however, they repeatedly encounter a federal agent named Martin Andreeson, who is also on Davy's trail.
They adventure out into the West, which is a romantic scene for Swede, and fitting for Reuben and Jeremiah considering their lung condition (Jeremiah recently overcame an illness prior to the journey). The family has no real plan for travel, and simply makes stops where fitting. Eventually winding up at a home with a gas pump, with need for a purchase.
The woman who owns the gas pump, Roxanna, allows the family to buy gas, and rent rooms in the house during a storm. The storm is quite severe, however, and the family decides on an extended stay. Roxanna becomes like the mother that the children never had, comforting them in their losses, telling them exciting stories about her grandfather's adventures with Butch Cassidy, and even helping Reuben with his health. Finding Roxanna is considered one of Jeremiah's last "miracles".
During their stay, Reuben makes contact with Davy, meeting him in the wilderness and his fellow hideaways, Jape Waltzer and a girl known simply as Sara. Waltzer claims to have "bought" Sara from her father in Utah and raises her with the intension of one day marrying her. Waltzer also appears mentally unstable, abusing Sara and forcing eccentrics on others. The more Rueben sneaks away from the family, the worse his health becomes. While Reuben suffers from his lungs, Andreeson comes across the family once again striking an agreement with Jeremiah, after he hints he is coming close to finding Davy. Reuben warns Davy, who seems unconcerned.
Eventually, Reuben tells his family, and (after convincing from his moral father) officials in the search. A search party is formed, with Reuben in the lead, who tries at one point to disrupt the search. His attempt failed, however, and the search continued to Jape's cottage, only to find it empty, except for Martin Andreeson's discarded fedora, leading officials to believe he has been killed.
The family returns to their home in Roofing, Minnesota, where Jeremiah marries Roxanna and the family finally settles in, though Swede refuses to forgive Reuben for not telling her he had been seeing Davy. One night, three months into the family's arrangement Davy appears at their home with Sara, claiming to have escaped Jape. The family spends the entire night catching up with him, and agree that if he must get back on the road, Sara can live with them. The following morning the family walks outside to see Davy off only to Jape Waltzer waiting outside patiently. He fires a rifle once, hitting Jeremiah in the side. When Reuben runs forward after his injured father, he is shot squarely in the chest. The next chapter is a sequence in which Reuben is in a heaven-like place, where his breathing is normal and he can run freely. He is at the bank of a river, ready to go in when he meets his father, who dives into the river instead. Reuben awakes to find his father dead and he still breathing even though his father suffered only minor injuries and he suffered ones that were certainly fatal. Reuben owes his father his life for one last miracle.

I really believe in miracles and that's a big reason why I really liked this novel.