来自上天的援救

大卫开着他的丰田凯美瑞，在驶出高速公路后，就驶入了一段偏僻路线。他跟随着GPS定位系统要前往美国犹他州的一间教堂进行非常重要的分享。

突然，他的手机荧幕显示警告信息说前面的路很危险，只适合高性能越野车通过。

但是大卫心里想，他既然已经开自家轿车走了这么一大段路了，不想随便掉头走的，路况再糟也不至于不能开吧？存着这样侥幸的心理，他踩了油门继续往前开。

几分钟后，手机荧幕上出现同样的信息，被他直接无视了。

渐渐地，柏油路没了，前方只剩下泥土路。在行驶了这段上坡路一段时间后，他的车子引擎忽然熄火。他尝试发动引擎，却没有任何反应，试了很多次还是徒然。

他眺望山底下只有广阔的沙丘和草丛，这里既没有手机信号，也看不见别的车经过。大卫忽然感到害怕，自己一人不知身在何处。他只是一名来自南韩的电脑工程师，如今却困在美国的一个沙丘。

他害怕地想到：“如果碰到野兽，我该怎么办？”

他马上跪在沙地上祷告。

他跟上帝说：“主啊！求祢原谅我无视警告以及驾驶到这里，我并不知道会发生这样的事情。但是我这个安息日必须去证道，求祢指教我做错了什么？”

他心中感到忧虑，恐惧和恼怒。他全然忘记在过去的这三个月里上帝是如何带领他四处奔跑， 举办关于如何通过互联网和社交媒体传福音的研讨会。

他祷告五分钟后，有一台卡车往他的方向开过来。车上的一对老夫妇看见了他就停下来，问：“发生了什么事？”

大卫告诉他们他的车子发动不了。老先生坐进了车里，尝试用钥匙发动车子，没反应。老先生把车钥匙还给他后，提议载他到离这里六英里外有电话讯号的地方。大卫心里满怀感恩，因为他至少可以联络拖车来帮他。

突然老先生又跟大卫拿了车钥匙，请大卫坐在副驾驶上，他把钥匙插入后转了一转。大卫心里觉得这不过是白费功夫，因为他们两位已经试过了。

轰，轰，这声音对大卫而言简直悦耳得难以形容。引擎动起来了！老先生轻踩了一下油门，车子就顺利往前开了。大卫感到很惊讶，“谢谢您，谢谢您！”不断地向老先生感恩道。

大卫和老夫妇道别后，就继续往前开，一路都赞美上帝。虽然自己没有听取警告，但上帝却派了来自祂的救援。让自己可以准时到教堂去分享。

来源：本文译自《圣工消息》（社会青年季刊）2021年第四季

Help from Heaven

David drove his Toyota Camry off the freeway and entered a remote stretch of road. He was following his GPS navigator to an important speaking appointment at a church in the U.S. state of Utah.

Suddenly, a warning message popped up on his mobile device. The road ahead was dangerous. Only all-terrain vehicles should risk traveling on the road.

David had driven quite a far distance in his midsize car, and he could not simply turn around. How bad could the road be? He determinedly stepped on the gas pedal.

A few minutes later, the warning flashed again. He ignored it.

Then the asphalt ended abruptly, and he began to drive on dirt. After driving uphill for a short distance, the car engine stopped. He turned the key to restart the engine, but no response. He turned the key again. And again. No response.

Stretched out below he could see a vast plateau of sand and shrubs. His cell phone was out of network, and no other cars were in sight. Suddenly David felt scared and alone in the middle of nowhere. He was a computer programmer from South Korea stranded on the side of a sandy hill in the United States.

“What if I encounter wild animals?” he thought.

David knelt down in the dirt and prayed.

“My Lord,” he said. “Please forgive me for ignoring those warnings and driving here. I didn’t know that this would happen. But I have to give a seminar this Sabbath. What did I do wrong?”

His heart was filled with a mix of depression, fear, and irritation. He forgot that God had been leading him as he had traveled for periods of three months at a time, giving seminars about how to evangelize over the Internet and social media.

About five minutes after his prayer, he saw a pickup truck climbing the hill. An elderly couple stepped out when they saw him.

“What’s wrong?” the man asked.

David told them about the stubborn engine that refused to start. The elderly man slid into his car and turned the key. No response. He handed the key back to David and offered to drive him six miles to an area where his cell phone would work. Gratitude welled up in David’s heart. He could call a tow truck for help.

But suddenly the elderly man asked for the car key again. Motioning for David to sit beside him in the passenger seat, he turned the key. David was sure that he was wasting his time. Both men had already tried to start the engine and failed.

Vroom, vroom!

The sound was like music to David’s ears. The engine revved to life. The elderly man stepped on the gas pedal, and the car smoothly moved forward. David could not believe his eyes.

“Thank you! Thank you!” he exclaimed.

Waving good-bye, he turned the car around and returned to the main road, praising God the whole way. Even though he had disregarded the warnings, God had provided help from heaven so he could reach his next speaking appointment on time.

Please fine the original article at: https://am.adventistmission.org/mqa21q4-20