In a Crisis, God Saved Me From the Claws of the Scoundrel

By Ajing, Germany

After graduation from the junior high school, I left my hometown for another place to work. Before I left, my mother repeatedly exhorted me: “You need to remember to call out to God at all times. God is by your side at every moment and is your only reliance.” However, I paid no attention to these words and did not take them into my heart. I did not truly realize that God is the only One whom I can depend on until I personally experienced that God saved me from the claws of the scoundrel in time of danger.

In 2006, my father and I started a small movie theater in another part of the country. There was a public toilet nearby and a one-minute walk could get me there from our theater. I would go to the toilet at 11 p.m. every day and then close the theater after returning. In 2008 (I was at the age of 21), It was a very cold winter night. I went to the toilet at 11 p.m. as usual. Yet the lights in the toilet were out and so it was dusky there. Not long after I entered the toilet, by the faint light from the street lamps, I saw a person enter. I thought it might be someone who lived close by, so I did not think anything of it. When I saw the person walked directly toward me, I had a bad feeling and subconsciously wanted to stand up. However, it was too late for the person had gotten near to me and I smelt alcohol on him. He reached out his hand to grab me by the neck, but because it was too dark there, his thumb reached right into my mouth. Then I bit his thumb so that the blood flowed down along my neck. He quickly pulled his hand away and then continued seizing me by the throat tightly, venomously ordering me to hand over my phone. Quite frightened, I handed my phone to him with my hand trembling. He took it and put it in his pocket. Subsequently, he talked dirty, with one hand around my neck and the other ripping my clothes. I resisted desperately, struggling, but he held my clothes tightly, not letting go of me. I struggled to stand up, but the more I resisted the more tightly he seized me by the throat. Also, he pushed me down to the ground so firmly that I could hardly move.

At that point, I was very scared, begging: “Uncle, I’m begging you to let me off. I live nearby….” He tightened his grip around my neck before I could even finish speaking. Then I, in a vague way, heard the voice of passers-by on the road. No sooner did I just want to shout “help” desperately than he held me even more tightly round my neck. Suddenly I felt it hard to breathe and lost my consciousness gradually. Thus my whole body felt so weak that I kneeled powerless down on the ground. The passers’ footsteps faded away, so I was utterly helpless at that moment, thinking: I must die here tonight. I’m so young. I’ve never thought of dying here. Thinking of that, my tears involuntarily fell down my face. Just then, I suddenly called to mind what my mother had told me: “You need to remember to call out to God at all times.” Then I hurried to pray to God in my heart: “O God, save me. I’m not resigned to die this way. God, save me! …” After my praying, I felt his grip around my neck slackened abruptly, and I took a deep breath, taking this opportunity to make my clothes tidy. At that time, my whole body had been limp and weak, but with a burst of strength, I suddenly stood up and tried to run outside, and I did not know where the strength came from. Having not imagined that I still had the strength to run, the scoundrel, several seconds later in realizing what was happening, rushed forward and caught hold of me. At that moment, I ran to the entrance of the toilet, with one of my hands clinging for dear life to the edge of the wall and the other being tightly seized by him. He pulled me into the toilet with all his strength, while I clenched the wall, not letting go and struggling desperately. Having not moved me, he released my arm a little and then suddenly pulled me back with force. He pulled me a few times in succession like this and I was almost pulled back into the toilet by him. My hand that was clenching the wall became kind of numb and I was rendered desperate once again, thinking: If he pulls me this way two more times, I’ll not be able to hold on. It seems that I can’t escape. However, just then I heard my father calling me not far away. On hearing this, with fear, the scoundrel suddenly released his grip on my hand and ran out. Hearing my father’s voice, I suddenly had courage and exerted all my strength to run forward and grasp the scoundrel’s clothes. He tried to break free of me, pulling me two or three meters so that I lay on the ground. Then, my father ran to me and seized the scoundrel with other several people around.

After getting home, I sat on a chair weak and limp, trembling all over. My hands trembled so seriously that I could hold nothing. When I told my father all the detail, he said: “Tonight felt strange. Not long after you went out, I had a bad feeling in the heart. Previously, you always went out around this time, but I did not have this feeling. At that time, I had lain down and didn’t want to rise up, but I felt something bad would happen to you. Then I got up and went out to search for you. I didn’t think you would encounter such a dangerous thing.” That night, lying on the bed, I found it difficult to fall asleep and thought of the breathtaking scenes from time to time. I repeatedly thought back to my father’s words and to the process of my escaping from the claws of the scoundrel after my praying and calling out to God in despair. I clearly realized that it was God who gave me the strength to break free of the scoundrel and helped me out of this danger. Were it not for God’s protection, I would have been insulted by the scoundrel and even have lost my life.

The Bible says: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalms 46:1). Only after experiencing that did I taste the true meaning of these words. Looking back, I realized when I was limp and weak and my life was in danger, it was God who gave me the strength to fight with the scoundrel. Also, God marvelously arranged for my father to look for me in order that I could struggle free from the scoundrel’s claws. Within this experience was God’s love and salvation for me. Yet, I had never taken my mother’s exhortation seriously and did not have a heart of truly relying on God. I was so foolish and had no conscience.

Now, I, who was lost before, have come before God and enjoy the watering and supply of God’s words. Thank God for His watching over and protecting me along the way. I will follow God forever and perform my duty properly to repay God’s love.