Almighty God Has Given Me a Second Chance at Life

Almighty God Has Given Me a Second Chance at Life

Two ordinary brothers and sisters, Beijing

August 15, 2012

Almighty God Has Given Me a Second Chance at Life

     July 21, 2012 was a most unforgettable day for me, as well as the most important day of my life.

That day, a heavy rain was falling in Fangshan District in Beijing—the heaviest we had seen there in sixty-one years. A little after 4:00 p.m., I walked out onto the street to have a look and saw that water was everywhere. Our family car was already afloat, and the only reason it had not been carried away by the current yet was that something in front of it was blocking it from moving. The sight made me quite anxious, so I quickly called my husband, who is also a believer, but could not get through no matter how many times I tried. Then, rather than seek God’s will, I instead hurried home to call out for him.

Afterward, my husband and I went to look at the car, umbrellas in hand. When we got up next to the vehicle, he was just about to get in it to drive it away when it started moving by itself, before he’d even had time to touch it. He rushed after it a couple of steps, but the car got washed away by the current, and he was pulled in along with it. In my urgency I wanted to run over and grab him, but before I could move, I was sucked into the current, too. In the blink of an eye, we were pushed along by this roaring torrent for more than sixty meters. Just then, a minivan taxi suddenly floated up broadside in front of us. My husband wanted to stand up by bracing against the taxi, but before he could, it surged away and we were swept along a few meters as well. At a place where the current took a turn, my husband was finally able to force himself upright. He said, “Quick! Get into that raised pavilion!” Hand in hand, the two of us climbed with difficulty into the little pavilion. Just then the flood swelled higher. We held on to the pillars tightly, terrified of being swept away again. Only now, in this life-and-death crisis, did I remember to rely on God. In my heart, I continuously prayed to Him and beseeched, “God! Whether I live or die today is in Your hands; even my death will be Your righteousness!” I kept praying to God over and over, without daring to leave Him for even a moment. Suddenly, a miracle happened: Many sticks blocked the current from flowing toward us, and we stopped feeling any pain when the flood continued to pummel our bodies. As the water kept rising, both of us continuously prayed and sang hymns in praise of God. Later, as the current got stronger and stronger, I was already completely drained of strength and it started looking like I wouldn’t be able to hold on to the column much longer. Urgently, I shouted to my husband, “I can’t hold on much longer. I’m done for!” Suddenly, the flood took me. My husband hurriedly grabbed for me, and in that instant, life and death hung in the balance. Just then a car floated up in front of us and just happened to get stuck between the columns. The torrent rushed around both sides of the car, and we were safe and sound! God is so wonderful! God is so almighty! If God had not saved me that day, I would have been swept away by the flood, and died who knows where. It was Almighty God who had given me a second chance at life. As Almighty God said, “God uses His life to supply all things both living and lifeless, bringing all to good order by virtue of His power and authority. This is a truth which none can conceive or easily comprehend, and these incomprehensible truths are the very manifestation of and testament to the life force of God” (“God Is the Source of Man’s Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

And so it was that we were in the rain for five hours straight. Actually, by then a few rescuers had already seen us, but seeing how strong the current was, they worried about being swept away, so instead just looked on from afar without coming over to save us. Apparently, when faced with disaster, everyone is selfish and helpless; people absolutely cannot save each other. Only Almighty God is our source of life; what’s more, He is the only One who can save us in time. To leave Almighty God is to die. Now I have personally tasted God’s love, I wish to make an oath before Him: From this day forward, I want to determinedly follow Almighty God; I wish to use my personal experiences to spread the gospel, bringing even more people before God, so that I can repay the debt of kindness I owe Him for His salvation!