By Liu Yi
I am a Christian, perform my duty in a place far away from my home, and live in an elderly sister’s house. At 2 a.m. on August 4, 2017, roused by a heavy rain, I found the roof was leaking and I hurried to take buckets and basins to contain rainwater. At that time, it was still dark, and the water in the courtyard was already deep. The elderly sister’s house laid low, with inclines around it, and so the flood from all directions, through the entrance door, flowed fast into the courtyard just like the water after the floodgates had been opened. Seeing the water keep rising quickly, I thought to myself: If the entrance door isn’t blocked, the water will flow into the house. The rain was heavy, and the currents were so strong, the house will be surely swept away. So, after making my thoughts known to the elderly sister, we decided to block the flood at the entrance door when the water in the courtyard was up to my knees. Due to the darkness and such heavy rain, I was very afraid, praying without cease in the heart: “God! May You keep my heart and lead me. I am quite afraid to face such a situation.” I was praying to God to give me strength while I was walking toward the entrance door. The elderly sister and I made a concerted effort to move some concrete slabs to lean against the entrance door, but the flood still went rushing below the concrete slabs. And then I took many long straws to block the interspace, thus the currents into the entrance door becoming much weaker. After that, I stood up and looked outside of the courtyard: Waves in the river nearby were rolling and rolling. It was formidable to hear the crash of the stones in the river and I was unable to move for fear of the rumbling of river water. The disaster, near at hand, made my mind go blank. Suddenly, I saw three big trees fall down in the river and float away in the twinkling of an eye. I was shocked at what I saw, and I took some time before I came to my sense. I thought: How strong the force is! If a person is swept away, he will die instantly. It is so dangerous.
At that moment, I was kind of worried about the house: The location of the house is so low, and moreover, floods from all directions all flow toward here. Will the house be swept down? I made haste to pray, “God! The flood is so horrible. It will soon sweep the house away. God! May You protect us not to complain but to submit to Your arrangement irrespective of what will happen to us! Whether I live or die is in Your hand. God! Whatever You do is good, and whether or not the house will be washed away, I will thank and praise You.” After prayer, I felt more comfortable. Rain kept pouring down, and when I looked back, I found there was much less water in the courtyard, which is marvelous. I said with delight to the elderly sister, “The water in the courtyard gets less.” She laughed and said, “Thank God.” I was quite excited at the scene. We knew that it was God who cared for and kept us. Just then, there came a dull thud, and we said with amazement at the same time, “Ah! The house opposite is knocked down.” “That house was newly built and cost 200,000 to 300,000 yuan,” the elderly sister said. At that point, God’s words resounded in my ears, “The disaster originates with Me and is of course orchestrated by Me” (“Prepare Sufficient Good Deeds for Your Destination”). Immediately, my heart was a lot quieter. Just as what God says, disasters are ordered in God’s hand, which was ordained by God long ago. And whether I die or live is dominated by God; there is nothing in the universe not in God’s hand. Thank God very much that the water in the courtyard didn’t increase though it was still raining heavily.
Not until past 9 o’clock in the morning, did it stop raining. When we went outside and looked, we were even more shocked: A pile of trees blocked the flood from flowing toward the elderly sister’s home. Thanks to the trees as the block, the flow changed its direction in the east of the elderly sister’s house, and the river took a sharp turn, soon the new house opposite the elderly sister’s house was swept away. If it hadn’t been for the obstruction of those trees, the flood wouldn’t have changed its direction, and the elderly sister’s house couldn’t have survived. From our hearts, we gave thanks for God’s protection for us. I prayed to God in tears, “God! All these are Your deeds and Your great power and sovereignty. In the following days, I will go all out to perform my duty to repay Your love for me.” Then God’s word came into my mind, “Man’s heart and spirit are held in the hand of God, everything of his life is beheld in the eyes of God. Regardless of whether or not you believe this, any and all things, whether living or dead, will shift, change, renew, and disappear in accordance with God’s thoughts. Such is the way in which God presides over all things” (“God Is the Source of Man’s Life”). From God’s words, I knew that all the living or dead things shift with God’s thoughts. In the disaster, I truly experienced God’s authority and power, and saw the deeds of the practical God, which increased my faith in God.
Later, the villagers all talked about the new house which was swept away, and someone said to the elderly sister in astonishment, “The water should have flowed toward your home. And if it were not for the pile of trees which had blocked the flood, the water would have run directly toward your old house. With the pile of trees blocking there, the water turned around, and thus, the new house was washed away, while your house was saved. What a miracle it is! It is Heaven who has saved you.” The elderly sister nodded her head repeatedly.
God’s words say, “The Creator’s authority and power produce miracle after miracle; He attracts man’s attention, and man cannot help but stare transfixed at the astounding deeds born from the exertion of His authority. His phenomenal power brings delight after delight, and man is left dazzled and overjoyed, gasping in admiration, awestruck and cheering; furthermore, man is visibly moved and there is produced in him respect, reverence, and attachment. The authority and deeds of the Creator have a great impact and cleansing effect upon the spirit of man, and, moreover, they sate the spirit of man. Every one of His thoughts, every one of His utterances, and every revelation of His authority is a masterpiece among all things, and is a great undertaking most worthy of the created mankind’s deep understanding and knowledge” (“God Himself, the Unique I”). Thank God! In that disaster, I deeply tasted that a tiny creation is so small and powerless before disaster. If not for God’s mercy, care and protection, created man can do nothing faced with disaster. God’s protection for me in that disaster allowed me to know God’s authority and wisdom and even more to truly feel God’s love and care for us, and that God is at our side without leaving for a moment. I am also willing to commit my all into God’s hand, submit to God’s sovereignty, and try my best to fulfill my duty as a creature. I offer up my heartfelt thanks and praises to God. All the glory be to God!
