I ran a shop at home since my husband couldn’t move around easily from cerebral infarction. In that way, I could both take care of him and make a living. However, an accident happened in my house on July 18, 2017, which led me to gain a genuine experience and understanding of God’s almightiness and sovereignty. Thereafter, I became more certain that God is my only and everlasting reliance.

That day, at about nine in the morning, my husband was awakened by black smoke when he was sleeping on the kang. As soon as he saw the electric wires and fuse beside the upper corner of the window on fire, he cried out, “Fire!” At that moment, I was chatting with several customers in the shop. Hearing his crying, I ran outside and found the wires close to the upper corner of the window outside the house also caught fire. The tongue of flame kept ascending upward. I shouted hurriedly, “Look! The outside is on fire too.” At this time, two people in my shop and my little daughter scurried out from the shop. Seeing this scene, they all fetched basins of water hurriedly trying to put out the fire. When I ran into the house, I was dumbfounded. The wires and the circuit breaker beside the upper corner of the window were in full flame, and the room was filled with heavy smoke. The terrifying scene made me tremble all over and my heart thump violently. I helped my husband to the outer room with my trembling hands.

Just then, someone cried from outside, “Turn off the switch quickly.” But at that time, since I could hardly draw breath because of the smoke, plus I was afraid, I just couldn’t see the exact position of the switch. Just when I was climbing to the kang with difficulty, another person rushed in and shouted to me loudly, “Quickly! Turn off the switch.” With the word, she passed me a one-inch-wide bamboo cane, and asked me to turn off the switch with it. I took the bamboo cane with one hand, and pressed on my chest with the other hand, feeling as if my heart were about to jump out. Suddenly, I thought of God and then cried out to Him in my heart after gasping for breath, “God! I know it’s hard to put out the fire caused by electricity. Now I can’t touch the switch. Please help me.” When I held the bamboo cane out, I felt as if someone gently pushed my arm up and so I could turn off the switch in an instant. I was clear in my heart that it was God who helped me. For He is watching over me by my side at any time, and He is my rear guard, my ever-present help. I kept thanking God in my heart.

Although the switch was turned off, the fire inside and outside the house kept stretching its tongue to reach the ceiling of the house. Next to the window’s corner on fire hung the curtain, of which the lower part was exactly on the wardrobe at the west side of the kang, and on the wardrobe piled up bedclothes and cotton jackets. If the curtain caught fire, all things in the house would be destroyed. Seeing only one inch left between the curtain and the fire at the corner of the window, I cried out to God in my heart again, “God! Now none but You can rescue my house. About this matter I encountered today, there is really nothing I can do. But I believe You’re the almighty God.” At this time, people came in with basins of water, attempting to put out the fire with water after removing the things from the kang. I stood on the kang watching in the direction of fire and felt afraid, not knowing what to do.

Just then, something marvelous happened. One of my neighbors who was helping me said with excitement, “Look! Things are getting better!” I saw that the tongue of the fire changed its direction as if it were blown away from the ceiling by the wind. Then I patted my chest with my hands and breathed a sigh of relief, slumping onto the kang. I was clear that God had listened to my prayer and protected my home from a serious fire with His wondrous deed. At that moment, I wept tears of gratitude and couldn’t help offering thanks and praises to God silently, “God! You’re so almighty. Today I have seen Your wondrous deeds, and Your almightiness and sovereignty with my own eyes. You have saved my house.” The several neighbors helping to fight the fire all put down the basins and looked at the fire burning in one direction. One of them said, “You should thank the Heaven. Look, the fire burns really strangely. I personally saw the fire was burning straight up to the roof and then suddenly changed its direction. What a wonder!” Another one said, “I also feel it’s really incredible. See, the rubber attached to the roof and its edge has been burned black by the flame reaching upward, but the roof just didn’t catch fire. If the wires fixed on the roof caught fire, then nothing could help.”

When they were talking, two electricians arrived. One of them asked my daughter to call in the worker mounting the roof of my house and then let him take down two pieces of PVC board in the outer room. They would then come back to look for the position of the short circuit after their meal. Coincidentally, the worker who should have worked in the downtown on that day just came back home because he had some things to deal with in his family. So he could come for help timely. It really was the wondrous arrangement of God. Later, the electricians came again after their meal. Because they didn’t find where the short circuit was, they were a little helpless and decided to ask the worker to take down two more boards. So my daughter made another phone call to the worker, and soon he came. I prayed to God silently, “God! The electricians can’t find out where the short circuit is. God! Please help and guide them.” At this moment, the worker climbed the ladder into the roof and immediately found where the short circuit occurred. Next, the electricians set about repairing the circuit and succeeded.

I kept thanking God in my heart with delight. At risk, I genuinely saw in every aspect that all matters and all things are in God’s command. It was God’s great power that saved my house from being destroyed. Just as God’s words say, “Be quiet within Me, for I am your God, your only Redeemer. You must quiet your hearts at all times and live within Me; I am your rock, your buttress. Have no other mind, but rely on Me with your whole heart and I will certainly appear to you—I am your God!” Pondering over these words of God in such a situation, I truly understood that each and every word of God carries authority, and even more felt that God is silently keeping us humans by our side at every moment, being our strong rear guard. Today, I personally experienced and saw God’s wondrous deeds and protection, as well as His love and salvation. At the same time, I deeply felt that we are too small to mention in the disasters: Apart from being cowardly and afraid, we are often seized with panic.

After this experience, I was both grateful and ashamed. I possessed the opportunity to listen to God’s words after accepting His work, but instead of treasuring God’s words, I was only content to understand some doctrines. As a result, I missed many opportunities to know God, and I didn’t have true faith in God, let alone have a place for God in my heart. Only when the disaster befell me and brought me panic, did I remember to cry out to God. But God didn’t look at my foolishness and ignorance but had mercy on me and saved my house with His mighty hand, allowing me to see that His love for us mankind is selfless, that He is the only true God ruling our mankind’s fates, and that only God is our unique reliance in tribulation.

I made a secret oath: From the day onward, I will read and contemplate, practice and experience God’s words, letting His words guide my path ahead, and I will perform my duty well to satisfy Him and repay His love for me. Thanks and all the glory be to God!