By Guo Mei
In 2005, I had the privilege of accepting God’s kingdom gospel. When I first began to believe in God, my brothers and sisters asked me to read God’s words at meetings, and I actively did it. However, I regarded believing in God as a religious belief, and thought as long as I believed in God and acknowledged Him in my heart, it was enough. Dominated by this view, I never seriously read God’s words, so that I had little knowledge of God. Yet the way He treated me was not based on my resistance. When I met with danger, He still protected me and saved me from it.
After my husband died, I had to manage the things pertaining to his work. At 7 p.m. on June 28, 2007, I went to Yan’an City, Shaanxi Province to settle accounts with the boss (investor). Because a drilling team had an accident before, the boss wanted to deduct 150,000 RMB from my husband’s account (My husband was the producer). By rights, both the material supply department and technology department were also responsible for the accident, but the boss only curtailed our money. I felt wronged: At first, when he had cooperation with my husband, he accepted every condition that my husband presented, and called my husband brother. But now, after my husband’s death, he turns his back to me, and wants to deduct 150,000 RMB. It is not a small number! I felt human relationships were fickle. My husband’s death was already a sad blow to me. Besides, the boss wanted to deduct so much money that we couldn’t negotiate with each other. So I nearly fell apart. I angrily came to Yanshui River and sat by it shedding bitter tears. When I thought of the scene that my husband and I rambled along this river, my tears fell like rain, and I indulged in the memory of my husband and pain.
Because I didn’t go back for a long time, the boss and his wife were afraid that I would commit suicide, so they came near the river to look for me. Just then I heard a loud noise from above. Yanshui River was surrounded by mountains, so I thought it was the sound of blasting rock for expanding highway. But the truth was that a flood was coming. The upper reaches of the flood carrying mud and sand was directly rushing down toward my direction, but I was unaware of it at all! While seeing the scene, the boss couple were so anxious that they shouted to me, and sounded tubs to warn me against the flood. But I didn’t hear them! Finally, they honked three trucks’ horns at the same time to warn me. However, over head and ears in sadness, I still heard nothing. Passers-by also shouted to me anxiously, “Run! The flood is coming! Get out of here! …” After they had been shouting to me for a long time, I finally came back to my senses: What? Gosh! The flood is coming! I looked up in panic only to see the flood was only 20 or 30 meters away from me. It was coming upon me like an earth wall. I thought: I’ve had it! I absolutely can’t escape from it! Hovering between life and death, I thought of God, and hurried to cry: “God! I’m afraid of death, please save me! …” Just at the moment, I turned around subconsciously and ran toward the steps nearest to me. The set of steps were as tall as a six-story building. Whether I could climb to the top of steps was a question, for I was afraid of heights. However, at that time, without considering so much, I ran up the steps and called out to God for help. The wonderful thing was that, I climbed over more than half of the whole steps in a moment. There happened to be a retainer ring made of steel bar, and I seized it forcibly.
Just then, the flood came after me instantly, covering the entire steps below me. All of sudden, the flood reached to my neck and splashed mud and sand on me ferociously, making it difficult for me to open my eyes. I even couldn’t take a stand pushed by its force, and my body was hanging in the water. I tightly held the retainer ring with my arms to support my whole body. I called out to God in danger, “Almighty God! I’m caught unawares by the unforeseen disaster. God, in the previous days, though I believed in You, I didn’t read Your words with my sincere heart. But rather I’d been believing in You amid vagueness, having no knowledge of You and living for money all the time … God! It is because of Your protection and care that I can live till today. Whether the flood will take my life is in Your hand. No matter what You do, I’m willing to obey Your sovereignty and arrangement. No matter what the result is, I will thank and praise You.”
After praying, I opened my eyes, and saw a singular scene. The flood should have rushed to my direction straightly. However, unexpectedly, it became curved and didn’t come upon me directly, but rather got around me, which made me keep away it. I felt it was marvelous. In addition, my whole body was immersed in the water excepting my head. Normally, once the water reaches one’s chest, it may become life-threatening as his brain is starved for oxygen with his heart pressed by water. But, curiously, I could breathe smoothly, and there was no mud and sand splashing into my mouth, which further allowed me to see God’s marvelous deeds. My heart was continually excited, and I couldn’t stop thanking Almighty God for protecting me.
I recalled the dangerous scenes just now: When the flood was coming to me, I climbed up the steps where there happened to be a retainer ring, and I could grab it timely in panic; when I was about to be carried away by the flood, I called out to God and the flood got around me and changed its direction magically; when the flood carrying mud and sand rushed to me, another wonderful thing happened: My head was above water all the time, and I didn’t suffocate due to lack of oxygen. This was incredible! … I know it was all God’s wondrous protection. I recalled that in the past I didn’t treasure God’s word in believing in God, always treated the environments that God set according to my own desires, and had no place for God at all in my heart. With these thoughts in my mind, I felt regretful and hated that I hadn’t been serious in my belief in God and hadn’t sought the truth. Though I disobeyed God so much, God didn’t treat me according to my actions and deeds. At the critical moment, He still cared for me. I felt God’s mercy and expectations for me and resolved: If I can survive, I must cherish the following days.
Two hours after the flood flowed away, the boss sent for a crane to rescue me. At that time, there were lots of onlookers on the shore. They said: “Oh, my! You are so Lucky!” “You have a good fortune, it’s a miracle!” I was very clear in my heart that it was not because I was lucky, but because of God’s care and protection. He listened to my prayers and saved me from the disaster. I kept thanking God in my heart. Afterward, the boss told me: “Before the flood came, someone was driving a Nissan truck full of rocks along the riverside. He was unaware of the situation. When the flood came, his truck was destroyed and he died. But you came out danger unharmed. It is amazing!”
I thought of God’s words saying: “Amid My words, mountains topple, waters flow in reverse, man becomes submissive, and lakes begin to flow without cease. Though the roiling seas surge angrily toward the sky, amid My words such seas are becalmed like the surface of a lake. With the slightest wave of My hand, fierce gales immediately dissipate and depart from Me, and the human world is immediately returned to tranquility” (“The Sixteenth Utterance”).
“Almighty God the practical God! You are our strong tower. You are our refuge. We huddle under Your wings, and calamity cannot reach me. This is Your divine protection and care” (“The Fifth Utterance”).
That’s right! God marvelously saved me with His powerful hand. When my life was hanging by a thread, God commanded the flood to make a detour, so that I could head off danger. I truly appreciated from this experience: Disasters are administered by God. Only God is the sole refuge and reliance of man. Only if we come before Almighty God, can we escape the assault of disasters. Meanwhile, I felt that in the face of disasters, we mankind are so insignificant and feeble. Were it not for God’s protection and grace, I would have already passed away.
After having a brush with death, I thanked God’s salvation. Moreover, I also reflected on my outlook on life: I spent most of my lifetime on this dazzling society where material desires overflow. In order to pursue wealth and fame, I racked my brains, thinking that if I had money, I would own everything and others would look up to me. Even if I had accepted God’s work, I didn’t pursue the truth, didn’t understand the earnest intention of God’s salvation for mankind, much less knew the preciousness of the truth. Not until the disaster befell me did I know money and fame couldn’t save me and that no matter how much money I had, I couldn’t buy life. If I lost God’s protection, my life would be in danger.
Through the wondrous deed of God, I had some true knowledge of God’s authority and His practical love toward mankind. After that, I started to pursue the truth and fulfill my duty to the best of my ability to repay God’s love!
