Salvation from Death’s Grasp
She was sentenced to death by doctors, family members, and neighbors, and at the end of her life, she heard the voice of God. Instead of dying, she regained her life force with renewed vitality.
By Feng Mei
The sun shone brightly on the earth, giving it a golden coat. In a small farmhouse, a thick curtain blocked its arrival. The scene of a wistful room and the world outside the window is so contrary.
Quietly in the room, Feng Mei lay paralyzed in bed, her waxy face without the slightest color. Her body looked like a thin skin attached to a skeleton. It seemed painful to touch her skin with your hands.
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on Feng Mei’s face. She hurriedly covered her face with a thin left hand. She had had three strokes, causing her right eye to almost be blind, her left eye sensitive and fragile, and a bit of glare made her feel as uncomfortable as a needle poking her. For relief, she curled up on the bed in a dark room all day.
The dark environment is more likely to arouse the sadness of the heart, and Feng Mei felt all of the scars in her heart being repeatedly ripped one by one: When she was young, her parents divorced. She followed her mother, and because of her stepfather’s abuse, she had to live with her father and brother. She had suffered too much suffering as a child. The days after her marriage were so busy and stressful that she put her heart into her family. However, in her first sudden stroke, she heard her husband tell the doctor to give up the treatment. Although her body was not conscious at the time, her brain was awake, the heartbreaking words gave her the coldest feeling possible and it felt like she fell into a cave of ice. Later, due to her father’s strong insistence, her family had to agree to continue the treatment…. Feng Mei’s life was saved, but half of her body was paralyzed, and from time to time her body felt a lot of pain.
At this moment a sharp pain struck her, as if the bones were pierced. Feng Mei made a small moan, and she tried to turn her body to relieve the pain, but the right half of the body did not cooperate. She struggled for a while and gave up the idea of turning over. After the pain subsided, the room echoed a feeble gasping, and Feng Mei’s mind began to drift again. Her husband complaining bluntly about the situation, her relatives and friends acting indifferently to the call for help with the high medical cost, and the surrounding neighbors talking about her and regarding her as a person who was about to die…, scenes of the memories fluttered in her mind and deeply hurt Feng Mei’s heart, and it also obliterated the last point of Feng Mei’s hope of life. “Just end my suffering,” she silently said to herself, “In any case, the doctor said long ago I will become a vegetable anyway, so why don’t I just die now.” While thinking about this, suddenly her daughter’s young sad face reflected in front of her eyes. Feng Mei’s heart was suddenly clenched with more pain, “I have to endure and live for my kid.” She said softly to herself. In the dark room, Feng Mei still laid quietly. Although there was a weak breath, people could hardly feel the presence of a woman alive.
On this day, Feng Mei got a visitor, a sister of the neighborhood. The sister saw Feng Mei’s condition, she felt sorry and said: “Feng Mei, you should believe in God.” Then, the sister read a passage of God’s word: “Be quiet within Me, for I am your God, your only Redeemer. You must quiet your hearts at all times, live within Me; I am your Rock, your Backer. Have no other mind, but wholeheartedly lean on Me and I will certainly appear to you—I am your God!” (“The Twenty-sixth Utterance”). Feng Mei listened to these words that are brimming with authority and power and felt they warmed and rested her heart with hopes of life. The sister gave testimony to witness the power of God, and advised her to speak her mind to God. Feng Mei tried to let out her years of sorrow and bitterness to God. Her loneliness, pain, and anguish gradually disappeared after she cried out to God. Feng Mei felt like she was an orphan who had returned to her mother and found her backbone. She said to herself: “Yes, God is my Redeemer, and the Rock to lean on.” The sister continued to read more of God’s word. Feng Mei listened attentively to those words. To her surprise, as if she were infused with a miraculous power when she was listening to God’s word, she felt less weak than before. She never had this experience before. Since that day, Feng Mei always looked forward to listening to the gospel from the sister, which enabled her to not dwell on her problems.
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| Picture of the Church of Almighty God |
After Feng Mei’s health improved, the brothers and sisters came to her house to sing hymns, read God’s word, and share their experiences of God’s love. Feng Mei’s heart was filled with appreciation when she felt brothers and sisters treat her sincerely and she finally had a smile on her face. She dedicated herself more to reading God’s word, and surprisingly she felt the pain leaving her body and her eyes became less sensitive to light. Sometimes she even got out of bed and walked. Through these impressive improvements, she became more certain that she has believed in the one and true God who holds sovereignty over all things and had a firmer belief in following God.
A few months later, three brothers came to Feng Mei’s house to preach the gospel to her husband. Near lunchtime, Feng Mei saw the pouring rain outside the window and decided to invite the brothers to stay for lunch. But she felt she was in an awkward position when she saw her weak right hand and right leg: What should I do? I asked everyone to stay for a meal just now, but I forgot I’m paralyzed. She felt panic at the moment, then she thought about praying to God, so she called upon God for help: “O God, it’s Your love that has brought me before You and gave me the hope, and the brothers and sisters have been caring and helping me a lot. Today I really want to prepare a lunch for them. God, please give me the strength.” After the prayer, Feng Mei became full of strength in her heart. She thought she couldn’t use her weak right hand, but she could use her left hand to do it. She started to pick and wash the vegetables and prepare the lunch….
When the last dish came to the table, Feng Mei was filled with relief. She looked at the food on the table, and was surprised that she had made several dishes. More to her surprise, the paralyzed half of her body had gained feeling again. She started moving her right arm and leg. Although still clumsy, it was truly able to move! At this moment, Feng Mei understood that is out of God’s great power. She felt deeply touched, and couldn’t help but keep saying: “Thank You, God! Thanks be to You, God!” When the brothers and her husband saw what happened, they all felt surprised and also thanked God and praised His mighty power.
She thought about a passage from God’s word: “The heart and spirit of man are held in the hand of God, and all the life of man is beheld in the eyes of God. Regardless of whether or not you believe this, any and all things, living or dead, will shift, change, renew, and disappear according to God’s thoughts. This is how God rules over all things” (“God Is the Source of Man’s Life”). She experienced in a practical way that God is the Creator and everything, living or dead, is in God’s hands. She herself, being a creature, was also under God’s sovereignty. Her health was always in God’s hands. Even though doctors had sentenced her to death, and everyone—including herself—lost hope in life. But since she followed God, her spirit became more and more positive and her paralyzed body miraculously gained feeling. This let her truly see God’s wondrous deeds and His unfathomable authority and power. She indeed felt God’s deep love for us humans. Feng Mei made a commitment in the heart: As long as I can still breathe, I will do everything I can for God and keep on performing my duty!
After this, Feng Mei’s body recovered faster than ever, she became radiant and her complexion glowed. The change in her surprised a lot of her well-known family relatives and friends and Feng Mei would always silently give thanks to God in her heart. Afterward, she preached the gospel with other brothers and sisters, and shared her life experience to more people. Without notice, all of the problems with her health have completely disappeared. Her face is often full of happiness!
The golden sunshine filled the courtyard and bloomed in Feng Mei’s heart. Bathed in the bright light, she is sitting in front of her window and silently reading God’s word, with a heart full of warmth and happiness….
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