Imagine a sunny morning in El Salvador, where the sky is blue and not a cloud in sight. The only thing in front of you is an enormous waterfall! You stare; it is so beautiful. As you get out of your trance you notice your friends are hopping and splashing in the water. You decide to join. You see your friends swimming through a dark tunnel that guides the way to the next waterfall; you feel up for adventure, so you decide to follow with some other friends. As you pick your feet up, the current swiftly takes you into the dark tunnel. It feels like a Disney World Ride as the water rushes around you in the pure dark. It keeps going… time goes by… it keeps going. Then suddenly, your head hits concrete above you. Your nose is still under water. No breath. You just want breath. Your heart pounds. You choke on water. As you flip to your back to float so you can breath, you start to yell. You scream names, names of the people you thought you were with. No response. You scream again. You are scared. No response.
(some falls)
This is the exact situation I found myself in exactly a week ago. The God I serve saved my life that day. He gave me a new meaning to the word LOVE. He allowed me to get a bigger glimpse into the love He has for each of us. He also gave me a glimpse of His strength and His endurance. I finally understand the literal meaning of the verse “for by grace you have been saved through faith” in Ephesians 2:8.
(the tunnel)
Once I realized I was the only one in the tunnel I knew it was a bad, bad situation. I realized I was apparently supposed to have turned somewhere and I didn’t. The pressure was too strong for me to swim backwards. I thought my only hope was praying for another waterfall ahead. After a bit of a struggle, I saw a pinpoint of light in the distance. I thanked God there was another fall and I couldn’t swim there fast enough. I just wanted out. Out of this nightmare. As I swam up to the light, I realized it was not a waterfall; it was a grater about 20 ft above me that the sun was shining in. In front of me was a metal wall. The tunnel had ended and I was trapped. I felt like a true victim in a horror movie. I was scared. Tears poured. I realized it was probably my last day on earth. I yelled. I yelled again “HELP ME. SOMEBODY HELP ME.” I knew I had no human help. God was the only help I had.
I started praying out loud, “GOD I NEED YOU. GOD PLEASE BE HERE. GOD SHOW ME YOU ARE REAL.” He said back “Liz, you know I am real. Don’t question me now.” I rebuked Satan. I told Satan to get the hell out of there. I prayed again. I prayed “God you are real. God you are good. God, in Romans you say you work all things together for good. I don’t know why this is happening but God help me please.” I started quoting the bit of scripture I know and realized in that moment the importance of memorizing scripture.
I started fighting the current and it pushed back at me. I prayed again. I tried again. It pushed me back into the wall. I prayed again. I told God “You are good. God, if this is your plan for my life then okay, you know the plans.” I asked “Was giving my testimony that once my purpose in life?” I prayed “Please don’t do this to my parents. Please don’t do this to my family. Please God.”
I started fighting the current again. I pushed my body against the concrete hoping the current wouldn’t push so hard if it was just my backside it was pushing. I ran my hand over the concrete above my head and found a crevice for 2 of my fingers to go in. I pulled my body against the current. I prayed for help. I asked for strength and endurance. I knew this was a long tunnel. I prayed for more crevices. I felt another crevice an arms length away.
I prayed aloud for strength and endurance as the current pushed against my body in the dark tunnel. After 15 or so minutes of finding crevices and pulling my body with God’s strength, I stopped to rest. I just wanted to catch my breath. My legs got swept out from under me and I found myself holding on by my fingers so I didn’t back track. I was exhausted but I knew I had to fight. Fight for my life.
I prayed. I knew from the passage I read in Matthew right before the falls the reason we pray. We pray because our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. My flesh was ready to give up. My arms were shaking and I was exhausted. I felt like I was going no where, but my spirit wanted to fight. My spirit knew God’s strength and goodness. My spirit knew that it wasn’t going to be the last day of my life.
So I continued there in that pitch black tunnel feeling my way around while begging God for direction.
After what my guess was greater than an hour or more of fighting, I saw light about 100 yards up. I knew I was closing in on the waterfall. I started praising God and asking for more strength. As I got closer I started yelling for help, but all I could hear was the rushing of the falls. I knew God had given me the strength thus far; He could give me the strength to endure until the end.
I started fighting harder, pulling my body weight with my fingers faster and faster.
I made it! I was exhausted spiritually and physically.
(others swimming through the tunnel)
Soon I will write a follow up blog with more details of what God taught me that day! I will talk about what I am learning, but for now I am still processing the day. The day I should have died, but God saved me. The day God proved His love was so much more than I could have imagined. The day I learned how to operate my love for others out of the overflow of the love He lavished me with. The day only God can recieve the glory for!
