Tunnel Vision

by Joan K.

In 1971, the troubles in Northern Ireland were increasingly becoming a danger to me and to my six children. We listened to horror stories of suffering every day on the radio. Our personal horror story came the night I was attacked by two gunmen. One beat me while asking me questions about someone’s whereabouts. Although I wasn’t a Christian, I silently prayed for God to help me.

God was merciful

The crying of my newborn daughter distracted the gunman at the bottom of the bed. Her cot was behind the bedroom door, out of sight from them.

‘Ah, look’, the gunman said, ‘there’s a baby here. Go and see if there’s anymore.’

‘The house is full of them,’ exclaimed the other puzzled gunman.

‘Oh, come on! Let’s leave her,’ the first gunman instructed.

They left, and I cried knowing that God had been merciful to us. Because of what happened, we immediately moved to England.

Looking for peace

I was looking for peace, but I knew I was living a lie. The man I was with was cruel, especially when drunk. He often beat my children and me. I became so depressed that one day I got drunk and threw myself in front of a car. This put me in the hospital with a fractured skull. As a result, my balance became affected and I lost all sense of smell. My life was a mess!

My common-law husband ended up going to prison, allowing my children and I a newfound freedom. But as his release neared, I became terrified that he would once again try to hurt my kids. I felt trapped because I was pregnant with his child. To make matters worse, I became seriously ill after the baby’s birth and ended up in hospital.

A rare vision

One evening, while in hospital, I had a rare vision. I saw seven golden candlesticks on a white altar. The room was brilliant with light. Suddenly, I was walking through a dark and narrow tunnel. Someone was at my side holding a lighted candle, but I could not see who it was. I recall saying, ‘Am I dying? What shall I do?’ A voice replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, and your household.’

‘But I’ve always known about Jesus!’ I cried.

‘So do the demons, and they tremble’, came the stern reply.

‘Oh God! If the devil knows what I know and this doesn’t save him or me, what does?’ ‘Trust’, was the final answer.

I replied, ‘Lord, I have always known you were there, but I have never trusted you completely with my life. Please give me another opportunity.’

Peace at last

My experience ended with the Lord Jesus standing in a dim light and putting the smoldering candle down.

Afterwards, I felt peace that I had longed for my whole life. All the fear left me. Now, at last, here was the love I had yearned for since childhood.

God has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. I know that He has never left me. We each need to find God for ourselves. Only He can love us completely and unconditionally and give us the power to change.

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

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Further Reading:
Facing our fears: bomb scare in India
Power to change