The rescue when I was in danger 危難中的拯救
(中文版在文章下半部分.
Translation function available at the side bar)
The story of prophet Jonah has reminded me how God has rescued me during many dangerous occasions in my life. I recalled these events after decades.
Have you ever encountered any dangers before?
My devotional reading for today is Jonah’s prayer. Although the story of Jonah fleeing from God’s mission and being swallowed by a big fish is well-known, it’s noteworthy that Jonah did not thank God’s rescue after he was being released from the fish. The prayer that he made inside the fish’s stomach reflected that although he was in great danger, he already believed that God would save him, and his faith was strong. He didn’t complain against God, but instead thanked God!
After being spit out (being saved) from the fish, he no longer doubt or flee from God. When God told him to go to Nineveh, he didn’t refuse any more, but obediently ‘rising according to the word of the Lord.’ This experience of escaping from death had made him trust and submit to God.
There’s a Chinese saying ‘To be reborn from the ashes’ which perfectly describes Jonah’s story – it was, in fact, God’s miracle. Most people can hardly imagine facing a perilous situation like Jonah being swallowed by a big fish, or experiencing such a dramatic event. But why did God choose such a dramatic way to teach Jonah and then save him? Why didn’t God use other more ‘ordinary’ methods? Is it because ordinary mundane methods wouldn’t work? The circumstances and situations that Jonah faced were all in God’s hand. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Do we have any similar experiences? Or do any of our relatives or friends have strange experiences of being rescued? Looking back, I recall that I was almost knocked down by cars in 4 incidents (in Hong Kong), once a car wheel ran over my foot without causing any injury (when I was about 10 years old in Hong Kong), another occasion was when I was traveling in Hokkaido and riding a snowmobile, I almost went off the road at a bend and fell down a slope. Other close calls were avoiding an earthquake and terrorist attack in Turkey, the light bulb in my house burst and scattered, the glass bowl that I was using to wash cups at a Chinese restaurant suddenly shattered in front of me, avoiding the 2005 London Underground bombing, and in Macau when I was just one second away from being hit on the head by a football that ‘flew out’ of the field’ (the football hit the cap of a water bottle that I was holding) …etc. Haven’t I been protected by God and escaped from danger, like Jonah?
Some people may not have very dramatic experiences, but they may have been healed from an illness, found a job, passed an exam, encountered an accident but escaped unharmed, or avoided natural or man-made disasters. What messages do these strange incidents or deliverances that happen to us or our relatives and friends convey? Have we noticed that escaping from danger is God’s protection, or do we feel that we are just lucky?
Postscript: I have actually forgotten about all these past dangers and accidents mentioned above for many years, but I almost encountered a serious accident again two years ago. After that, I began to recall these dangers one by one in detail, and then I realized how much grace I have received! I then realized that God, my Heavenly Father, has protected me for so many times, otherwise the consequences would be severe, and I wouldn’t be able to write this blog!
Note:
Refer to today’s Our Daily Bread article for May 22, 2018 titled ‘Up a Tree’:
可曾遇過危險？
今天閱讀靈命日糧的靈修經文，是約拿的禱告。雖然約拿逃避神的使命被大魚吞下的事跡耳熟能詳，但留意到，約拿不是在被大魚吐出後才感謝神而向神祈禱的。從他在大魚腹中的禱告，反映他當時雖在險境中，卻已相信神會拯救他，而且信心強，沒有埋怨神，竟是感謝神！當他被大魚吐出(獲救)後，他完全不再質疑或逃避神，神叫他去尼尼微城，他沒有再推卻，順服地『便照耶和華的話起來』。這死裡逃生的經歷，使他相信神、順服神。
中文有一句話：「置之死地而後生」，正好描述約拿的事跡 - 其實是神蹟。一般人實難以想像自己會遇到像約拿被大魚吞下這種險境或如此戲劇性的經歷，但為甚麼神要用如此戲劇性的方式去教訓約拿然後拯救他呢？為甚麼不用其他較「平凡」的方式呢？因為平凡平淡的方式不奏效？約拿的遭遇、身處的環境因素都在神的掌握中，「我們曉得萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處，就是按他旨意被召的人。」(羅馬書8章28節)
我們可有一些相似的遭遇呢？又或者有親友曾經經歷過一些被拯救的奇事嗎？回想自己曾有四次幾乎遇到車禍(在香港)、一次私家車車軚在腳掌上輾過而絲毫無損(約十歲時在香港)；又有一次旅遊時在北海道駕駛雪地電單車，在落斜坡時幾乎衝出路邊跌落山坡；還有其他有驚無險的經歷，例如避過土耳其地震及恐襲、家中燈泡玻璃爆裂四散、在酒樓洗杯時所用的玻璃碗突然在我面前爆裂、避過2005年倫敦地鐵恐襲爆炸案、在澳門只差一秒，沒有被「飛出」球場的足球擊中頭部(足球擊中我面前的水樽樽蓋)......等等，豈不也似約拿般蒙主保守、化險為夷？
有些人可能沒有很戲劇性的經歷，但可能是病得醫治、找到工作、考試合格、遇到意外但有驚無險、避過天災人禍？究竟發生在自己或親朋身上的奇事或拯救，帶出了甚麼信息？我們可有留意到有驚無險是神的保守，抑或只覺得自己幸運而已？
後記：上文所述的種種危險或意外，其實已忘記多年，但兩年前有一次又幾乎遇到嚴重意外後，始細心一一回想，才懂數算恩典！原來天父保守這麼多次，否則後果嚴重，這網誌上的文章也寫不出來了！
備註：
參考今天靈命日糧文章2018年5月22日文章《逃避》：
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