By Wang Hua
My husband and I are Christians. The day of February 7, 2015 is the most unforgettable day in my life.
At about 3:00 p.m., my husband had a gas bottle filled, brought it back home and screwed the valve. He wanted to see whether the joint of gas pipe would escape. As soon as he turned on the lighter and placed it on the joint, the pipe caught fire. Seeing the fire would burn the wooden cupboard in which the gas bottle was placed, my husband was so worried that he tried to put it out with water. At the sight of this scene, I was also in panic but I thought somebody told me before if the gas bottle was on fire, we couldn’t put it out with water, otherwise, it would explode. Hearing my words, he didn’t dare to do so but managed to pull off the pipe from the valve with a great effort. Then he carried the bottle and tried to throw it out vigorously but it was so heavy that it was blocked by a screen and stopped at the door. Thus the fire shot above the house roof along the screen and the asphalt shingles on it was burnt soon. At this time, the wind outside was blowing fiercely, the fire on the roof was burning crackly with black smoke shooting and the flames were shooting out of the gas bottle in the yard. I was so frightened that my heart thudded and I momentarily didn’t know what to do. I then shouted loudly at the door: “Fire! Hurry up! …” Hearing this, my neighbor called the police immediately. Afterward some people came running to help us. No matter how we tried our best to control it, we could do nothing about it and the fire was still burning violently along the wind. Later, the police arrived. Being afraid that people would get injured in the gas explosion that might occur, they didn’t allow people to try to put out the fire, so they had us leave the site, waiting for the fire-engine. My husband and I as well as the onlookers were settled on a place dozens of meters away from my house. Seeing that the fire was spreading quickly, I was very anxious but could do nothing.
Just then, I suddenly thought the books of God’s word are still in the two western rooms. They are my life and what if they are burned? If the fire-engine doesn’t arrive in time, the fire will spread to my neighbor’s house. I have no idea what to do next. The more I thought, the more I felt scared. I prayed to God instantly in my heart: O God! The books of God’s word are in the rooms, the fire is fierce and now spreading along the wind, but the fire-engine hasn’t arrived yet and I can’t go close to the house, there is nothing I can do. I’d like to hand the books over to You. May You protect them! I also place the fire in Your hand. I’m willing to experience Your work in this environment. I believe in God’s almightiness and may God keep my heart, quiet it before You and keep me not to be scared any longer!” I repeatedly prayed to God within. About 20 minutes later, the fire-engine arrived and the firefighters put out the fire. But they could do nothing about the fire out of the gas bottle in the yard. After that, my husband and I went running back home hastily and we couldn’t believe what we saw with our eyes. Of the four rooms, some roof shingles of the easternmost one was burned down together with the bedding on the kang (translator’s note: a kind of traditional Chinese bed made of bricks). The front part of the roof of the room beside was burned, too, but the objects in it were intact. The books of God’s words were in the two connecting rooms in the west and those rooms were not damaged at all. How unbelievable! Thanks to God’s protection! The fire out of the gas bottle lasted five hours without explosion, which was really God’s wonderful care! If the gas bottle had exploded, my house and my neighbors’ would have been damaged, and the results would have been too terrible to contemplate!
At that moment, I recalled God’s word: “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” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “Everything of this world swiftly changes with the Almighty’s thoughts and beneath His eyes. Things mankind has never heard of suddenly arrive, whereas things that mankind has long possessed unknowingly slip away. No one can fathom the Almighty’s whereabouts, much less can anyone sense the transcendence and greatness of the Almighty’s life force” (“The Sighing of the Almighty” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I only had some doctrinal knowledge of God’s word in the past. Today through this fire I have realized that all things living or dead are controlled by God and ruled in the hand of God. Whether the fire was big or small, quick or slow would change according to God’s thoughts. Moreover, whether the gas bottle would explode or not was decided by God. Without God’s permission, even if we were faced with disasters, our life would not be placed in any danger. This is God’s authority and it is God who has saved my family with His phenomenal power. I recalled that a small restaurant in our neighboring village caught fire because of the explosion of a gas bottle, which endangered the pedestrians on the street about 100 meters away. The consequence was so serious. However, our gas bottle caught fire which lasted five hours without explosion. Although the fire destroyed some materials, it didn’t endanger our neighbors and others. It was really God’s grace and care! I thought that I always rebelled against God, resisted God, and hurt God before. While today at the critical moments, God turned His face away from my rebellion and still saved us. Moreover, I saw in my experience that God’s substance is love and salvation. I felt indebted to God and was unfit for God’s grace and keeping. So I made up my mind inside: I am willing to read God’s word carefully, pursue the truths, perform a creature’s duty, and prepare enough good deeds to repay God’s love!
