By Not Known
Thirty-three miners were trapped in 2010 for 69 days 2000 feet underground in Chile. Many around the world followed their ordeal until finally they emerged one at a time from darkness into light. As these 33 men emerged onto the surface, they were not just a group of soot-covered men in ragged clothes, but a group where many have turned to Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour for the first time. What happened in those 69 days underground was a miraculous story of faith and commitment.
Amongst them was a man by the name of Henriquez, also called Don Jose. He was given the nickname “The Pastor” after the ordeal. Henriquez as it turned out was a free-lance preacher who also worked the mines for 33 years! He called the incident “God’s accident” because it was God who used this incident to make Himself known to many.
Henriquez, would lead the group of men in pitch darkness twice each day in prayer and worship. Each time he would pray for a miracle to happen. Gradually, more and more of the men joined him and more would gather to sing praises to God and more would turn their lives to Him. Food was running scarce, whatever light source they had slowly diminished, and air was running out as well. Still their faith continued to increase and become more infectious with each passing day.
As the days wore on, more and more realised that only God can save them.
Henriquez recounted to his friends, “As God’s children, we pray to the living God. So if you want to pray to that God, I will do so with you. But if you want to do something else, then look for somebody else.”
Throughout the time, Henriquez’s faith did not waver. In fact, he was sure that God was there with them: touching, ministering, and even reconciling some of the miners trapped there.
When the miners resurfaced, they got together, huddled as though they just won the World Cup, not to celebrate their victory but to thank God for His faithfulness and grace.
Even when we are in the pits, or a deep hole 2000 feet underground in darkness, God is there. Under those circumstances, who would you trust? What will you believe in? How will you survive and remain positive that there is a God who cares and who loves?
The miners went home to their families but they also went out to share about their ordeal on how God has touched them while they were deep in the pits.
Jesus said to the sane man who was possessed with legend of demons that fled into the pigs and drowned, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you,” (Mark 5:19).
Peter Poon