Saved during a flash flood

by Maryann McKay
from The Christian Science Sentinel, October 16, 2023

My husband and I once lived in a city surrounded by beautiful volcanoes, where heavy tropical rains running down their slopes often created treacherous flash floods.

One night, as we were driving in one such storm, we noticed that other drivers were pulling off the road. We commented on it but didn’t follow their wise example. When the two cars ahead of us stopped in the middle of the road, my husband impatiently pulled ahead of them—and unwittingly drove straight into a flooded area. We’d traveled only a few feet when the engine died. As we sat there, I became angry with him over his decision to ignore the fact that other drivers were pulling over. My anger quickly turned to fear, though, when we realized that our car was now being lifted by the floodwaters and starting to float.

The storm had knocked out the electricity in that neighborhood, and it was pitch dark. We didn’t know exactly where we were, but we knew that the road, which the raging waters had now made invisible, bordered a ravine with no guardrails. We also knew that we were in a part of the city that was considered unsafe due to a high rate of violent crime.

I knew I needed to stem the flood of fear that threatened to overwhelm me, so I began to pray. The first thought that came to me as I did so was that I needed to drop all criticism of my husband’s decision to try to drive through the flooded area. The second thought was that I had to stop criticizing myself for not suggesting that we get off the road. Dropping those thoughts left me free to pray, unburdened by recrimination and blame.

I reached out to God to help me understand that we were safe and could never be separated from the care and protection of God, divine Love, regardless of the circumstances we were facing. I’ve always found much comfort in this passage from the Christian Science textbook: “When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea. Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought. Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious—as Life eternally is—can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 495). In this case, the illusion of sin, masquerading as fear, was what needed to be prayerfully refuted.

Just as I was feeling calmer, I realized that the water was entering my side of the car. As it reached my knees, I shouted, “God, we need help, and we need it now!”—fully expecting that God would answer our need.

Almost immediately, out of the darkness there appeared a large group of men. They looked intoxicated as they surrounded our car and peered at us through the windows, holding lighted matches to see us better. This was an eerie and ominous sight, which increased our anxiety. Our first reaction was to fear robbery or worse.

Again, I turned to God for guidance. It became clear that I needed to recognize that these men were not our enemies but were instead fellow children of God. And I knew that it was vital to see that each child of God’s creating—each of those men—is loved by God, our Father-Mother, who generously provides for all His children. These words from a hymn in the Christian Science Hymnal offered helpful insights:

It was comforting to recognize that since there is only one divine Mind, God, governing all, no one can ever be led to entertain or act on “unhallowed” thoughts—such as a belief in a lack of good or a desire to take what belongs to someone else. My husband was reluctant to roll down the window, fearing this would make us more vulnerable. He warned me not to protest if they demanded money or the car. So we were relieved and grateful when they instead offered to push us to higher ground for a very reasonable sum.

We stayed at the higher elevation for about an hour, which gave us additional time to pray. As I kept affirming that God was in charge of our lives, I saw this as an opportunity to pray for the safety of everyone in the city. When the waters reached our new perch, the group returned and offered to push us to a gas station several blocks away, where we could call someone to help get our car running again. Again, the price was reasonable, and no one in the group exhibited any threatening or unkind behavior.

I’m so grateful for God’s protection and care that night. But my biggest take-away from the experience was that as we prayed to see those men in their true, spiritual identity as God’s loved and loving children, we encountered only helpfulness and goodwill. Even though this happened a while ago, it still reminds me to approach my interactions with everyone from the standpoint that we are all created by God, divine Love.

Maryann McKay
Lees Summit, Missouri, US

This article was published in the October 16, 2023 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel. To learn more about this weekly inspirational magazine, published online and in print, visit HERE.