Peace in the Midst of Terror

The Will to Survive is a mantra taught to police officers early in their careers. It is a mindset to prepare for the moment when you will fight for your life. There are times when your will is not enough. Where the will of man ends, faith begins. Hebrews 11 starts with this observation: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” The chapter goes on to describe how people like Noah, Abraham, Joseph and Moses all lived by faith in circumstances where their own will made no difference. We all have moments like this when the only thing to do is submit to God and trust that He will guide and protect us. As you read this story, consider the following scriptures:

Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” 

Psalm 57:1 “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” 

Psalm 91:9-12 “The LORD is my refuge, and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” 

Andrew is a Federal Fight Deck Officer and a pilot for a major airline flying 777 aircraft all over the world. On March 11, 2010 at 3:00 in the afternoon he was waking up in his hotel room in Tokyo, Japan when the room began to rock and roll. A California resident, Andrew took the earthquake in stride. He figured it would last a few seconds and stop. He began moving around the room to get dressed and ready for his flight to Hawaii. The problem was the shaking did not stop.

Andrew looked out the 12th story window of a 37 floor hotel and down toward the pool. The 20 x 40 foot pool was three quarters empty with water spilled everywhere. The shaking became more and more violent. He turned his attention to the Tokyo skyline and saw countless 40 and 50 story buildings moving in ways that he describes as “grotesque.” Andrew was in the middle of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.

His room was shaking to the point that he could not stand steady without grabbing onto something. Wood began to splinter and cracks appeared in the walls. It sounded like a tree falling at the point you would yell timber. He was scared but did not panic. In the violence of movement, Andrew moved to the place that he believed was the most sturdy, the doorway of his room. “I knew in my mind it was absurd but I did it anyway. I had to do something.” 

The hotel continued to shake. He watched two Japanese maids in the hallway, running in circles and screaming in terror. Their cries of fear stay with him even today. The stucco was now falling off the walls. He heard the sound of steel popping and grinding. The girders holding up the building groaned making, “obscene noises you have never heard in your life.” Andrew knew that if the building did not collapse, it was likely that it would rock and slam into an adjacent building, falling like a domino. He believed he was facing his death and figured a cadaver dog would find his body in the rubble of the building. 

And yet, in the midst of this tempest, Andrew found himself at peace. He did not fear death. A follower of Christ, Andrew talked to God. “Thanks for a good life Lord. Please take care of my wife and family. Your will be done.” The prayer was simple and short. 

After five minutes of shaking, the earthquake stopped. The building stood and Andrew was not dead. Now his will to survive kicked in. The evacuation training practiced time and again as a pilot was automatic. He grabbed the screaming maids, gathered other guests on the floor and led the group out of the hotel. At one point during the escape, he found himself telling people in a calm, reassuring tone: “Come this way. Come this way.” He realized that he stood facing the group, motioning to people using hand signals as if he was evacuating an airplane. It was a funny moment in the midst of the tragedy. 

When Andrew shared this story with me I told him that God answered his prayer. God protected Andrew and delivered him home to take care of his wife and family. I know that in the midst of disasters, natural or not, God dwells with us. I close with a the following passage from 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”