I have had 2 near-death experiences in my life so far. In my first one, I was just 8 years old.

A few of us were playing a game of catching in the car park after school (not a wise move with hindsight). I was chasing after my friend when he sidestepped a pillar. I tried to do the same but wasn’t quite as agile, so I did not swerve fast enough, resulting in a head-on collision with the pillar.

I was in a shock at first, but sensed there was some water on my head. I touched my head to see what this mysterious liquid was and found that my whole hand was red and bloody!

I don’t remember much of the next few moments, but I recall getting swept off my feet (literally) by a bus uncle who rushed me to the general office. Suddenly 5 teachers were attending to me and my form teacher was called in.

The next moment I was on the phone with my Dad telling him what happened, an ambulance came and I was wheeled into the OR when I arrived at the hospital.

I was out of action for the next 3 weeks.

At that time, I asked God: “Why would you let me go through this accident?” To make matters worse, this happened during the exam period, which meant having to retake my papers during the school holidays when everyone else was having fun.

As a kid, I was always quite a guai boy. I handed in my homework on time, my grades were alright, I was a little nerdy because I was a librarian, I went to Sunday School every week and actively participated in the lessons, and even served in the visuals and worship team.

I tried to be a model student. I thought that my life was under control, but this accident rocked my world as an 8-year-old.

Recounting this incident is quite surreal to this day and I’m surprised by how much I remember. 

As a 19-year-old now, I see how my severe head injury had helped to build my trust in Him even as a young child. 

My head broke that day, but God gave me something greater.

Have you ever felt like you had everything under control, but then something unexpected happened?

What would you do in such a situation? Would you doubt God and lose faith in Him, or remain faithful?

One of my favourite Bible accounts is found throughout the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) where the disciples were with Jesus on a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee and Jesus was asleep when the boat entered a storm.

The disciples feared the storm and woke Jesus up and told Him “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” (Luke 8:24)

Then Jesus got up, said to the waves “Quiet! Be still!” and all was calm (Mark 4:39).

Jesus also rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith in Him (Matthew 8:26).

Even though we may feel weak or that our situation is too heavy to bear, know that our confidence is not in ourselves.

It doesn’t need to be a near-death experience like mine: It could be losing a loved one or a cherished relationship overnight, a chronic illness that you’re suffering from, or dreams that have been dashed.

If you’re facing a storm in your life today, remind yourself to put your hope in God, just as David did when he wrote this psalm. 

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 62:5-6)