It was a sunny day in June. Cheng Xi planned to go on an errand. Just as she opened the door, her son Xiaojun returned home from work. Limp and weak, he entered the door and suddenly fell into her arms, which stunned Cheng Xi. After regaining her composure, she hurried to carry Xiaojun to the sofa. Seeing his pale face, Cheng Xi asked with concern and anxiety, “What’s wrong?” Xiaojun answered weakly, “Mom, I’m so tired. I want to get a sleep.” Hearing this, Cheng Xi quickly touched his forehead and found he didn’t have a fever. Then she thought, “He has worked for 24 hours without rest. Maybe he’s just too tired. He’ll be all right after a good sleep.” At this thought, she tucked him up and left home. At dusk Cheng Xi came back home. Seeing Xiaojun still lying on the sofa, she asked anxiously, “Are you feeling better?” With brows knitted and eyes half shut, Xiaojun said listlessly, “I was vomiting blood and passing blood this afternoon. I even don’t have the energy to stand.” Hearing this, Cheng Xi said anxiously, “Hurry up! Let’s go to the hospital.”

After they arrived at the hospital, the doctor immediately put Xiaojun on a drip and transfused blood into him, during which he gave Xiaojun a thorough examination. When the results came out, the doctor said to Cheng Xi seriously, “You’d better take him to the provincial hospital quickly; his disease is very complicated. We can only give him a transfusion to sustain him for a short time. You’d better prepare for the worst.” As soon as Cheng Xi heard this, her head suddenly buzzed and her face went white. She mumbled in a trembling voice, “How come? He was fine yesterday. How could he be seriously ill all of a sudden?” At that time, she suddenly thought of her one-month-old grandson and worried: “If my son died, what should we do? How could I bear that?” Right when she was in pain, she suddenly remembered God and thought, “That’s right. The God I believe in is almighty. Everything is in His hands. He determines whether my son will live or die. If He doesn’t allow this, then my son won’t die so long as a single breath is in his body.” At this thought, Cheng Xi prayed silently to God to protect her heart so that she could obey His orchestrations and arrangements. After praying, she was not so panic-stricken and gradually quieted down.

Upon their arriving at the provincial hospital, Xiaojun was rushed to the emergency room. Cheng Xi gave all the examination reports and diagnoses to the doctor on duty. After reading them, the doctor quickly had a nurse put Xiaojun on a drip. Then he called Cheng Xi to his office and said to her in a harsh tone while writing a prescription, “You’ve come too late. To tell you the truth, we can only sustain him for a short time with those medicines, but we can’t save his life. You need to prepare yourself. Anyway, we’ll try our best. Here is the prescription. Get the medicines quickly.” Taking the prescription, Cheng Xi immediately rushed to the hospital pharmacy. Unexpectedly, the pharmacist said, “We don’t have two most crucial medicines. You have to buy them outside.” Hearing this, Cheng Xi said anxiously, “Even such a big hospital doesn’t have them. Where else can I buy them in the middle of the night?” The pharmacist told her, “Why don’t you ask the doctor to write a new prescription.” Then, Cheng Xi went to ask the doctor for help, but he waved his hand, saying indifferently, “The pharmacy beside our hospital sells them. You can get the medicines there.” That night, Cheng Xi shuttled between the dispensary and pharmacies, like a tireless machine.

Time passed quickly and it was 4:00 a.m. Cheng Xi, having stayed up all night, paced with anxiety in the corridor, worrying, “I’ve spent all the 6,000 yuan I took. The medicines have nearly run out and the doctor prescribes many medicines again. But I have no money to pay for them. What can I do?” At that moment, she was very anxious and worried, like a cat on hot bricks. Having no other way, she could only ask the doctor, “I’ve run out of money. Can I put my bank card and my son’s medical card in pledge? Please give my son the medicine first. I promise to pay the medical fees at first light.” However, the doctor said impatiently, “I’m sorry. This is not allowed in the hospital.” Again Cheng Xi said in a pleading tone of voice, “Oh, doctor. My son’s life is at stake. Please give him the medicine first. I’ll pay the fees at first light. Please.” Yet she never thought that the doctor actually said peevishly, “Didn’t you hear what I said? Can’t you see so many patients waiting here? I don’t have time to waste on you.” Just at that moment, Chen Jie, the brother-in-law of Xiaojun’s wife, ran there hastily and said in a flurry, “Help! Doctor. Xiaojun’s condition is serious.” Hearing this, Cheng Xi quickly ran to Xiaojun and lifted him up, only to hear him saying painfully, “Mom. I’m really so pained. Kill me, please. I’m too pained to …” Before completing his sentence, he fell into a coma. Seeing this, Cheng Xi begged the doctor again but he just shrugged indifferently, saying, “I’m sorry. I’ve told you to prepare yourself. Since you have no money to pay, we can’t help you.” Faced with the indifference of the doctor and the possibility of losing her son, Chen Xi was completely hopeless. With pain and desperation welling up in her heart, she felt as if falling into a bottomless abyss.

At that time, from outside came waves of mournful cries. She lifted her head and found that a rich and influential patient, who was well attended by the doctors and nurses, passed away. This scene made Cheng Xi more frightened; meanwhile, the words of the doctor kept ringing in her ears. The more she thought, the more frightened she was. She felt that the death was closing in on Xiaojun and she was losing him. In pain and helplessness, Cheng Xi could only cry out to God, “Oh God! I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do. Please protect my heart and lead me.” After prayer, God’s words flashed in her head: “Of everything that occurs in the universe, there is nothing in which I do not have the final say. Is there anything that is not in My hands?” God’s words lit up her heart: That’s right. The entire universe and all things, and the life and death of all living things are in God’s hands; only God is the Ruler, who holds the power of life and death. Look at the dead man. With all his money and influence as well as special care from doctors and nurses, he still failed to escape death. Money and influence can’t save his life, or lengthen his life by a single minute, a single second. My son is also one of the created beings; his life is given by God. Whether he will survive or not depends on God’s sovereignty and predestination rather than the doctor. Regardless of the result, I will praise God. Thinking like that, Cheng Xi was much released in her heart. Just then, Xiaojun’s hand suddenly stirred. He opened his eyes a fraction and asked, “Mom. What time is it?” Hearing his voice, Cheng Xi was very excited, tears filling her eyes, and she kept thanking God in her heart. At that time, she deeply felt the authority and power of God’s word. Lest Xiaojun catch her crying, Cheng Xi turned her face away, saying, “It’s over seven. How are you feeling?” “Mom. I’m aching all over. I feel I’ve slept for a long time,” said Xiaojun. While they were talking, Cheng Xi’s eldest son, Xiaojun’s wife with their one-month-old son in her arms and other relatives all came into the ward. Unable to refrain her excitement, Cheng Xi called them out and then told them what had happened excitedly. After hearing what she said, they all nodded and kept thanking God.

Afterward, Xiaojun was discharged from the emergency ward and transferred to a general ward. Unexpectedly, after his chief doctor examined him thoroughly, a new problem emerged: In the past, Xiaojun had a heart operation, after which he had to take an anticoagulant medicine for life. Once he stopped taking the medicine, the artery of his heart would be clogged with blood clots and the result would be too terrible to contemplate. This time, Xiaojun hemorrhaged because of gastric perforation, so he needed reconstructive surgery to his stomach immediately, in which case he couldn’t take the anticoagulant medicine until a week later. But as the specialist said, patients like Xiaojun could only stop taking this medicine for three days at most. Thus, the doctor sighed and said to Cheng Xi, “He’ll be dead no matter whether he has the operation. It’s your call.” At that time, under the guidance of God’s words, Cheng Xi was much stronger, and not so frightened as before. She thought of God’s words: “It is not humanity that holds the power of life and death, not some being in the natural world, but the Creator, whose authority is unique. Mankind’s life and death are not the product of some law of the natural world, but a consequence of the sovereignty of the Creator’s authority.” God’s words made Cheng Xi firmly believe this: God’s sovereignty is authentic and reliable. Man’s life and death are not determined by anyone, and all living creatures live and die by God’s words. This is the Creator’s unique authority. She thought: It is God that determines whether my son will live or not; isn’t it all the more determined by God’s thought whether the artery will be clogged? At this thought, Cheng Xi said to the doctor confidently, “We decide to have an operation.”

Before the operation, Cheng Xi comforted Xiaojun, “Don’t be afraid; trust in God. Only God is our support.” Hearing this, Xiaojun nodded. Before long, the operation was done. Seeing Xiaojun hadn’t waken up under the influence of the anesthetic, Cheng Xi came before God again, entrusting her son to God’s hands in her prayer. After praying, she felt steady and at peace. Later to her surprise, Xiaojun recovered remarkably well: He could soon get out of bed and walk around a bit. After that, Xiaojun had a complete physical examination again. Seeing the result of the color Doppler ultrasound exam, the doctor rubbed his eyes and looked taken aback. He specially asked the specialist in color Doppler ultrasound to examine Xiaojun again. After the result was out, the specialist said with surprise, “Unbelievable! He hasn’t taken anticoagulant medicine for eight days but there are no arterial blood clots. And he recovers so rapidly after the operation. What a miracle!” Hearing this, Cheng Xi thought to herself, “How are they to know that all this was God’s wondrous deed and the genuine embodiment of His authority?” Then the doctor said, “Under observation one more day, he can be discharged.”

The next morning, a ray of sunshine penetrated into her bedroom; Cheng Xi walked to the window and stretched. Thinking of the experience, she deeply felt: Whether one can live or not is not decided by the doctor, nor the science; neither family nor money can save one’s life. Only God is our Savior and the One we can depend on. The precious experience also made her see the power of God’s word and the authority of God. Just as God’s words say: “God’s life force can prevail over any power; moreover, it exceeds any power. His life is eternal, His power extraordinary…. The life force of God exists and shines its brilliant radiance regardless of time or place. Heaven and earth may undergo great changes, but God’s life is forever the same. All things may pass away, but God’s life will still remain, for God is the source of the existence of all things and the root of their existence. Man’s life originates from God, the existence of heaven is because of God, and the existence of earth stems from the power of God’s life. No object possessed of vitality can transcend the sovereignty of God, and no thing with vigor can elude the domain of God’s authority.” From God’s words and this experience, Cheng Xi knew that God’s word and life coexist, and can overcome all dark forces. She also experienced that God’s word was the light before dawn, which lit up her heart wrapped in darkness and gave her the direction. She thought: I’ll spend the rest of my life pursuing to know God. As long as we humans earnestly rely on God, we will see the transcendence and greatness of God’s authority.

All the glory be to God!