|
Fear thou not: for I am with thee:
be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. I have been a christian for 12 years now. In 1995 I backslid and had been travelling that backslidden road for 2 years, a lonely path to travel. In October 1997 I got a job looking after 22 children along with 4 others on a holiday programme set up for children over the school holidays. We took these children to a beach not far from my home town... although the day was cloudy and stormy we had arranged for activities prior to this day, for the children, which we could not cancel.... The children were aged from 5 years old to 9 years old, we also had two teenagers which I had to separate because they were disrupting the other children, we had split into two groups. We went down to the beach to walk along the sand, after warning the children they were not allowed to go swimming because the waves were rough and it looked like a storm was coming in fast. One of the teenagers I had separated earlier became rebellious and dived into the surf, she of course got swept out by the current, which I immediately dived in after her, after swimming through treacherous waves I reached her and tried swimming her back to shore, by this time we could not see the shore and a freak wave had lifted me up and cast me further out to sea. As I floated out to sea on my back I realised there was nothing I could do to save myself. I was exhausted from swimming and to swim against the waves wasn't an option.... I felt like a cork being tossed around at sea... the waves were high and what energy I had left I had to use to dive so the pressure of the waves when they came crashing down on me would not completely knock me out.... I remember staring at the sky while floating on my back and there was such a peace that overflowed me.... and I looked around from side to side at the waves that were troubled, crashing all around me and I realised such was my life, like the troubled sea.... ....I didn't care if I died, I was at that point in my life where nothing was going right and everything had hit rock bottom, and I welcomed death for that was an easy way out for me... The scripture where Jesus was walking on water came to mind... and I realised that I cannot control my surroundings but He can, and that everything is under His feet, (no matter what turmoil or problems you're facing He is in control if we allow Him). The sea is out of my control and so was my life but not out of His... I prayed a simple prayer not an elaborate long prayer, it was a prayer of desperation, 'Lord! if I'm going to die then do it now if not then put me back on shore because I have had enough'... At that precise moment I felt what seemed like a giant hand cradle my body and carry me upon the waters. I tried sinking, diving beneath the surface but I couldn't it was like there was something there that prevented me from doing so. After what seemed like ages, I felt something touch the shin of my leg gently pushing it beneath the water and I felt the sand touch my foot, (I knew it was the finger of my Lord) that was reassurance to me that I was near to safety...."Call upon the Name of the Lord and thou shalt be saved"...The moment I felt that sand beneath my foot I died.. how I know that is because I found myself standing behind a search party all knee deep in water, a line of 10 or so people including the police and life guards, the sea was too rough for anyone to attempt to swim... the search party was looking for me. I knew I could not call out to them because they could not see me, I stood behind two of the adults who were helping me that day and listened to their conversation. What really overwhelmed me was the fact that I was in a place where nothing could ever touch me or hurt me ever again, no more would I shed a tear, and joy began to flow in my heart... I looked up and saw the most brilliant colors I have ever seen, the trees, the sky the sea... everything was beautiful.... These colors I cannot describe them in words but were 1000 times more brighter and beautiful than anything I've seen or will ever see on this earth.....I was found 100 metres from where the search party was, lying on dry sand... I was overlooked by the police because in their own words "We thought you were sunbathing and how strange it was for someone to sunbathe on a stormy day". You see, I was placed on dry sand 10 metres away from the waters edge, and lying with my feet facing the sea and not in a distorted state as some people are found when being tossed from the sea....but rather lying on the sand like a sunbather....The teenager and a friend who went to save her after me also came out alive the same time as I did... When I came out of consciousness I shocked two of the workers by telling them exactly what they were saying when I stood behind them in spirit listening to their conversation..... God is good in every aspect of the word... He will never let you go, no matter what problems you are facing or how bad a situation may seem God is in control if you allow Him to be... I prayed a simple prayer that saved my life and yet I had lived 2 years in a backslidden state...but God understands where you're at whether you know it or not. He has a plan for your life and He never gives up even when we do....I was awarded a medal of valour for saving life, and yet I know it was the one who is Greater and Mightier than I who is the real Savior... God bless you, Denise This is a true story and it can be read by accessing the archives of a New Zealand paper called 'WAIKATO TIMES' Friday, October 3, 1997 front page story, under the headline, 'Rescuer nothing short of a hero' or 'THE NEW ZEALAND HERALD' Friday, October 3, 1997 under the headline 'Surf Disaster Prevented'. |
 |
|
 |