A very faithful religious man used to live in
a town on the river bank. A terrible storm came into the town and local
officials sent out an emergency warning that the riverbanks would soon overflow
and flood the nearby homes. They ordered everyone in the town to evacuate
immediately.
The faithful man heard the warning and decided to stay,
saying to himself, “I will trust God and if I am in danger, then God will send
a divine miracle to save me.”
The neighbors came by his house and said to him, “We’re
leaving and there is room for you in our car, please come with us!” But the man
declined. “I have faith that God will save me.”
As the man stood on his porch watching the water rise up
the steps, a man in a canoe paddled by and called to him, “Hurry and come into
my canoe, the waters are rising quickly!” But the man again said, “No thanks,
God will save me.”
The floodwaters rose higher pouring water into his living
room and the man had to retreat to the second floor. A police motorboat came by
and saw him at the window. “We will come up and rescue you!” they shouted. But
the man refused, waving them off saying, “Use your time to save someone else! I
have faith that God will save me!”
The flood waters rose higher and higher and the man had
to climb up to his rooftop.
A helicopter spotted him and dropped a rope ladder. A
rescue officer came down the ladder and pleaded with the man, "Grab my
hand and I will pull you up!" But the man still refused, folding his arms
tightly to his body. “No thank you! God will save me!”
Shortly after, the house broke up and the floodwaters
swept the man away and he drowned.
When in Heaven, the man stood before God and asked, “I
put all of my faith in you. Why didn’t you come and save me?”
And God said, “Son, I sent you a warning. I sent you a
car. I sent you a canoe. I sent you a motorboat. I sent you a helicopter but, you refused all the help that I was sending you because
you were failing to see that God can only help you, if you let him. Everything
was right before your eyes and you refused to pay attention and accept it.”What more were you looking for?”