那个孤身在珀斯荒郊迷路的黑夜，让我与神更近

“当将你的事交托耶和华，并倚靠他，他就必成全。”

（诗篇37：5）

一、从小到大的信仰习惯

我从小就在教会长大，对挂在墙上那个背负着救恩的十字架、对主日学老师谆谆教诲的声音、对那些古老却鲜活的故事，都不陌生。挪亚的方舟、大卫的石子、但以理的狮子坑——这些故事像种子一样，早早落在我心里。

“祷告神”和“依靠神”对我来说，不只是主日学课本上的字句，而是在日复一日的年岁里，慢慢长成的呼吸一样的习惯。遇到不会解的难题、不知何去何从的路口，我都会很自然地闭上眼睛，在心里轻轻对祂说话。不是每次都很迫切，有时候只是像孩子扯一扯父亲的衣角，问祂：“我该怎么办？”

不是所有问题都会立刻得到答案，甚至有的时候我会与祂给我的答案擦肩而过。有时候回头去看才明白，那原来就是祂给我的答案。在这些年与祂互动的过程中，我知道祂从来不会无视我的难处。虽然在二十多年的生命中，我并没有遇到过称得上绝境的试炼。而在生活的磕磕绊绊中，我深知道祂无处不在。

二、陌生的土地，崭新的功课

从与母亲和弟弟朝夕相伴数年的布里斯班转学到举目无亲的珀斯，踏上在澳洲大陆另一端孤守一隅的这个城市，对我来说像是个信心的探险。这是我第一次离开家人，来到一个全新的地方，开始完全独立的生活。人、环境、街道、公交线路，全是新的。我心里没有太多的忐忑和犹豫，因为相信神会为我预备道路。

我也记得父母的叮嘱，所以初来乍到时也没有太多的恐惧。在这个陌生的地方，我虽然没有血缘上的亲人，但是我知道，有一群熟悉的陌生人，他们是我属灵上的弟兄姊妹。即使从表面上，我或许不知道哪些人和我抱持同样的信心，但是在抵达珀斯以后，我就不断地经历神的恩慈和带领。一件小事、一个恰好的时间点、一个忽然愿意帮忙的陌生人——这些细细碎碎的恩典，像是神在用很轻的声音对我说：“我在这里，我一直在。”

在刚刚开始独自生活的日子里，我的信心偶尔也会经历高山低谷。学业上的压力，生活中的琐碎，对陌生环境的探索和适应，有时候也会激发短暂的迷茫。尤其在新环境中求学、求职的艰辛中，有时也看得见自己的软弱，却会想靠自己的力量硬撑，想去证明自己的适应能力很强，想着各种事情大致顺利也是自己努力的结果。尤其是身处熙熙攘攘的人的世界里时，眼睛更多地看到这个有形世界的形形色色，而悄悄淡化了心中与永恒世界的关联。也就是在这样的过程中，我与神的关系变得有些若即若离。我知道祂在我生命中，但是那种感觉常常并不是那么真实或强烈，直到那一天，在珀斯南区的夜色里，我走到了自己能力的尽头。

三、黑夜里的孤灯

说起来，那天的事现在想来仍像一场梦。

初到珀斯的我，特别想买一辆电动滑板车，以方便出行。在网上看到有人挂售一辆状况不错的电动滑板车，就迫不及待地前往联系，担心晚一些就抢不到了。因为这种急切的心情，我也没有提前做好功课，就想当然地以为这种车跟自行车差不多，上车即可驾驭。

卖家在南边的 Cockburn，一个我从没去过的地方。我当时已经在北部落脚，所以下午乘搭火车再转公交，一路颠簸费了好一番周折，下车时已是晚上七八点钟。我独自按索取的地址徒步走了十几分钟，一边走一边找，周围静得只听见自己的脚步声和偶尔驶过的车声。

那个地址指向一个荒凉的工业区。白天或许还有货车进进出出，到了晚上，就只剩下成排的厂房、空旷的马路，和隔很远才有一盏的路灯。路边是沙子，连草都不长。在找到那个仓库的时候，方圆一片好像只有那里还亮着灯，那是卖家专程过来开了仓库的门，把电动滑板车拿给我看。

我花了四百多刀，把滑板车买下来，心里又高兴又兴奋，仿佛解决了衣食住行中的一件大事。天已迟暮，急着回家，就想骑着滑板车前去公交站。在我离开的时候，那滑板车前主人的仓库，这黑夜里的一盏孤灯，还在那里亮着。

四、荒郊野地里的呼求

我打开手机导航，找到公交车站的方向，启动了滑板车，开始向目的地进发。

可完全出乎我的意料，这个滑板车并不是我以为的那么容易控制。它有匀速巡航功能，我以为松开油门速度就会自动降下来，可是巡航模式并没有解除。滑板车一直在往前冲，而且越来越快。在这个荒无人烟、几乎伸手不见五指的黑夜里，它的失控无疑是一件惊悚的事。

见此情形，慌乱中我本能地猛然按下刹车，希望把车子制动下来。不料，由于快速前行的惯性，我还没反应过来是怎么回事，就整个人连车一起飞了出去。

我摔在地上，感觉自己没受太重的伤。但当我爬起来，摸出手机的时候，心一下就凉了——屏幕碎了，怎么按都没反应，手机彻底坏了。

此时，我在这个漆黑的夜里，独自站在一个全然陌生的地方。没有导航，没有地图，不知道公交站在哪个方向，不知道火车站在何处，甚至不知道自己在哪条路上。由于没有手机，连打车的办法都没有。

我试着凭感觉走了一段路，可越走越茫然。工业区的夜晚，眼前的厂房都长得差不多，路牌既看不清也看不懂。那一瞬间，我就觉得天地之大，小小的我竟如此无助，像一只迷路的蚂蚁。

站在路边，我开始向路过的车挥手。一辆，两辆，三辆……车灯远远地扫过来，又远远地扫过去，没有一辆慢下来。他们不是没有看见我，他们只是视而不见。那种感觉很难形容。你不是隐形，你明明站在那里用力挥手，但没有人停下来。你在求助，而世界照常运转。此时的珀斯不是特别冷，但我由内而外感觉到阵阵寒意。后来在珀斯待久些以后，听说了南区治安的一些问题，我就稍稍能够理解车里那些人们当时的冷漠，在人的世界里，自保是一种本能，即所谓“君子不立危墙之下”，为陌生人涉险、舍命的，或有，却极其罕见。

抱着最后一丝希望，我想再去找找把滑板车卖给我的那个仓库，至少他们知道我不是坏人。于是我往回走，走了很久，才找到那扇门。但门已完全关了，灯也灭了。我执着地敲门，敲了很久，没有人应。

那一刻，我孤身站在一盏昏黄的路灯下，四周是黑漆漆的厂房，手机毁了，方向丢了，求助无人回应。那一刻，我脑中激伶伶闪过一个念头：如果今晚我不幸在这里出了事，或许不会有人知道。也许几天后的媒体头条，会有某个留学生失踪的消息。我清楚地记得这些念头冒出来时，背上那种凉嗖嗖的感觉。不能，我决不能让这样的事情发生。

“我在急难中求告耶和华，向我的神呼求。他从殿中听了我的声音，我的呼求入了他的耳中。”

（诗篇 18:6）

回顾之前一切慌乱中所作的无用功，我冷静了下来，来到神的面前。想到自己之前的自顾忙乱而没有先去寻求神，我甚至有些后怕。我的祷告很简单却很迫切：“神啊，我真的不知道该怎么办。求你帮助我，带我离开这个地方！”

五、神在“动次打次”的音乐声中回答我

就在我发自灵魂出于肺腑的呼求发出以后，这原本万簌俱寂的荒郊野地突然传出了音乐声。那种节奏感很强的“动次打次”，就从不远处传来，一声声把我濒临绝望的心情打活过来。在空旷死寂的工业区里，那声音仿佛有复苏万物的奇异能力。

有音乐，那就有人了。我心里狂喜，就循着声音走过去。

音乐声越来越真切，我就看到一群年轻人，正在节奏强烈的音乐里跳街舞。此刻容不得我再有任何羞怯或迟疑，我径直走过去，告诉他们我需要帮助。我简单地描述了自己的遭遇，把我买滑板车剩下的五十刀现金掏出来，对他们说：“我手机坏了，我也迷路了，回不了家。这是我身上所有的现金，不用找了，我只求你们帮我叫一辆 Uber，让我回家。”

这群与我素昧平生的年轻人全都停了下来，把音乐关掉，然后齐齐围上来帮我。有的人为我处理伤口、帮我包扎，有的人给我拿水喝，让我先冷静下来，然后有人拿出手机帮我叫车。

Uber开过来以后，这群活力奔放的年轻人帮我把滑板车抬进后备箱，把我的包也帮忙放好，安排我坐进车里，对我说：“到家以后给我们打电话报个平安。”我点头向他们道谢，把那张刚才掏出来的五十刀塞给他们，说：“你们一定要收下。”他们接了过去。而在车子启动之前，他们对我说：“钱已经放回你包里了，你自己保重。”后来我打开包就发现，他们真的把钱退回来了，一分钱都没有拿。

六、神的爱，不抽象

平安回到寓所，并打完报平安的电话以后，我坐在房间的床上，神思久久凝滞。不是因为后怕，而是因为心里被一种很深的、很暖的东西充满了。事情的每一个环节，都在我脑海里重新拼接，让我在这个夜晚，重新看清神在我生命中的位置。

我从小就开始懵懵懂懂地信主，听过许许多多的见证，听过无数遍“神是听祷告的神”。而在这个夜晚，当所有的门都关掉，所有的车都开走，我独自站在一片陌生的黑暗里无路可走的时候——神没有从天上降下一辆马车，也没有让手机屏幕奇迹般地亮起来。

祂只是在不远处，为我预备了一群跳街舞的年轻人，和一段“动次打次”的音乐。

“耶和华的眼目看顾敬畏他的人和仰望他慈爱的人。”

（诗篇 33:18）

我知道，那段“动次打次”的节奏不只是音乐，它是从神来的回应。

祂看顾我，不是因为我表现得多么有信心，而是因为祂本来就是那位看顾人的神。

“他们尚未求告，我就应允；正说话的时候，我就垂听。”

（以赛亚书 65:24）

那群年轻人是谁，我至今不知道。他们是基督徒吗？我也不确定。但我知道，在那个晚上，他们是神的手，是神的爱穿上了球鞋和T恤，为一个迷路的陌生人停下了一整场练习。

我从小认识的那一位神，在那个偏远的工业区里，变得无比真实。祂不是主日学故事里的角色，不是彩色玻璃窗上的画像。祂是在我最无助的时候，真实看顾、真实带领、真实爱我的那一位。

神的帮助，不总是超自然的奇迹；很多时候，是借着人，用最具体、最温暖的方式临到。

那些年轻人或许不会知道，他们在那个夜晚，成了神彰显恩典的一道光。

神的爱，不抽象。它会止血、会包扎、会递水、会送你回家。

七、写在最后：当你也走在夜路上

我们每个人，都会有属于自己的“夜路”。

有时是错误的决定，有时是突如其来的意外，有时是无人回应的呼求。

我们会敲门，却没有人开；

我们会挥手，却没有人停。

但这段见证提醒我们：

黑暗，不是故事的结局。

也许就在你看不见的地方，神已经预备了答案。

正如圣经所说：

“我们晓得万事都互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处。”

（罗马书 8:28）

那光，也许不像阳光那样耀眼——

它可能只是远处的一段音乐，一群陌生人，一句温柔的话。

但那已经足够，带你走出黑夜。

A Night Lost in Perth Wilderness Brought Me Closer to God

v  Kevin Yang

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and he will do this.”

（Psalm 37：5）

I. A Lifelong Habit of Faith

I grew up in the church. The cross on the wall - bearing the weight of salvation - the patient voices of Sunday school teachers, the ancient yet living stories - none of these were strange to me. Noah’s ark, David’s stone, Daniel’s lions’ den - these stories fell like seeds into my heart early on.

“Praying to God” and “trusting in God” were never just words on a Sunday school pages for me. Over the years, day by day, they became a habit as natural as breathing. When I faced a problem I couldn’t solve, or stood at a crossroads not knowing which way to go, I would naturally close my eyes and whisper to Him in my heart. Not always desperate - sometimes just like a child tugging at his father’s robe, asking, “What should I do?”

Not every question gets an immediate answer. Sometimes I even missed the answer He gave me. Only later would I look back and realise: that was His answer. Through all those years of walking with Him, I knew He never ignored my troubles. And though in more than twenty years of life I had never faced a trial that felt like utter despair, through all the bumps and stumbles of daily living I knew deeply that He is everywhere.

II. A New Land, a New Lesson

Moving from Brisbane - where I had lived for years with my mother and younger brother - to Perth, a city where I knew no one, alone on the other side of the Australian continent, felt like an adventure of faith. It was my first time leaving my family, starting a completely independent life in a brand-new place. New people, new environment, new streets, new bus routes. I wasn’t anxious or hesitant, because I believed God would prepare the way.

I also remembered my parents’ advice, so I wasn’t afraid. Though I had no blood relatives here, I knew there was a family of familiar strangers - my brothers and sisters in Christ. Even if I couldn’t tell at a glance who shared the same faith, I kept experiencing God’s kindness and guidance after arriving in Perth. A small thing, a perfectly timed moment, a stranger suddenly willing to help—these little pieces of grace were like God saying softly, “I am here. I am always here.”

In those early days of living alone, my faith sometimes had its ups and downs. Academic pressure, daily chores, navigating an unfamiliar environment - sometimes it stirred brief confusion. Especially in the hardship of studying and job‑hunting in a new place, I could see my own weakness, yet I wanted to push through on my own strength, to prove how adaptable I was, to think that things going reasonably well was my own doing. Especially when I was surrounded by a bustling crowd of people, my eyes were drawn more to the visible world in all its variety, and quietly my connection to the eternal world faded.

That’s when my relationship with God became a little distant. I knew He was in my life, but that knowing often didn’t feel real or strong - until that day, in the darkness of Perth’s southern suburbs, when I reached the end of my own ability.

III. A Lone Light in the Dark

Looking back, that night still feels like a dream.

I had just arrived in Perth and desperately wanted to buy an electric scooter for getting around. I saw an ad online for one in good condition, and I rushed to contact the seller, afraid I would miss out. In my eagerness, I didn’t do my homework. I just assumed it would be like a bike - hop on and go.

The seller was in Cockburn, south of the river, a place I had never been. I was staying up north, so I took a train and then a bus in the afternoon—a long, complicated journey. By the time I got off, it was already 7-8pm. I walked alone for over 10 minutes, following the address I had, searching as I went. The silence around me was broken only by my own footsteps and the occasional passing cars.

The address led to a deserted industrial area. During the day, maybe trucks came and went. But at night, there were only rows of dark warehouses, empty roads, and streetlights spaced far apart. Sand on the roadside, not even grass. When I finally found the warehouse, it seemed like the only light for miles—the seller had come specially to open up and show me the scooter.

I paid $400 for the scooter, and felt thrilled, as if I had solved one of life’s big logistics problems. It was late, and I was eager to get home, so I decided to ride the scooter to the bus stop. As I left, that single light from the warehouse - the previous owner’s place - was still on in the darkness.

IV. A Cry in the Wilderness

I opened my phone’s map, found the direction to the bus stop, started the scooter, and headed toward my destination.

But to my complete surprise, the scooter was not as easy to control as I thought. It had a cruise-control feature. I thought letting go of the throttle would slow it down, but the cruise didn’t disengage. The scooter kept rushing forward, faster and faster. In that pitch-dark, nearly deserted night, losing control was so terrifying.

In a panic, I instinctively slammed the brake, hoping to stop the machine. But because of the forward momentum, before I knew what happened, I flew off the scooter and hit the ground.

I lay there, realised I wasn’t badly injured, and got up. But when I pulled out my phone, my heart sank - the screen was shattered. No matter what I did, it wouldn’t turn on. My phone was totally dead.

Now I was standing alone in the dark, in a completely unfamiliar place. No map, no navigation. I didn’t know where the bus stop was, where the train station was, or even what street I was on. Without a phone, I couldn’t even call a taxi.

I tried walking by instinct, but the more I walked, the more lost I felt. In the industrial zone at night, all the warehouses looked the same. I couldn’t read the street signs clearly, and even if I could, I didn’t know where they led. In that moment, I felt so small, so helpless - like a lost ant in a vast world.

I stood by the roadside and started waving at passing cars. One, two, three… Their headlights swept toward me and swept away. Not one slowed down. It wasn’t that they didn’t see me - they just chose not to stop. It’s hard to describe that feeling. You’re not invisible. You’re standing there, waving hard, but no one stops. You’re asking for help, and the world just keeps spinning. It wasn’t particularly cold that night in Perth, but I felt a chill deep inside. Later, after I had lived in Perth longer and heard about some of the security issues in those southern suburbs, I could somewhat understand people’s indifference. In the human world, self-preservation is instinct - the wise keep their distance from danger. People who risk themselves for a stranger? They exist, but they’re rare.

With my last shred of hope, I tried to find the warehouse where I had bought the scooter. At least they knew I wasn’t a bad guy. So I walked back, a long way, until I found the door. But it was completely shut, the light off. I knocked persistently, for a long time. No one answered.

At that moment, I stood alone under a dim streetlight, surrounded by dark warehouses. My phone was dead, my sense of direction gone, my pleas for help unanswered. A cold thought flashed through my mind: If something happens to me tonight, no one might ever know. Maybe a few days later, a news headline about a missing international student. I clearly remember the chill that ran down my back when that thought grabbed me. No. I couldn’t let that happen.

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears。”

（Psalm 18:6）

Looking back at all the useless struggling I had done in panic, I calmed myself and came before God. I even felt a belated fear, realising I had rushed around frantically without first seeking Him. My prayer was simple but desperate: “God, I really don\t know what to do. Please help me. Get me out of here!”

V. God Answered Me Through the“Umc-Umc” Music

Right after that cry - from the depths of my soul, from the bottom of my heart - suddenly, in that dead-silent wilderness, music broke out. A rhythmic “umc-umc”thumping from somewhere nearby, each beat reviving my dying hope. In that empty, lifeless industrial zone, the sound felt strangely alive.

Music means people. Overjoyed, I followed the sound.

As the music grew clearer, I saw a group of young people dancing to the heavy beat, break dancing. I had no room for shyness or hesitation. I walked straight over and told them I needed help. I briefly explained what had happened, pulled out the only $50 note I had left after buying the scooter, and said, “My phone is broken, I’m lost, and I can’t get home. This is all I have on me. Keep it. Just please call an Uber for me so I can go home.”

These young people, complete strangers to me, all stopped. They turned off the music and gathered around to help. Some tended to my wounds and bandaged me up. Some brought me water and told me to calm down. Then someone took out their phone and called a car for me.

When the Uber arrived, those energetic young people helped load the scooter into the trunk, put my bag in, and settled me into the back seat. “Call us when you get home so we know you’re safe,” they said. I nodded and thanked them, pressing that $50 into their hands. “Please take it,” I said. They took it. But before the car drove off, they said, “We put the money back in your bag. Take care of yourself.” Later, when I opened my bag, I found the note, and they didn’t even keep once cent.

VI. God’s Love Is Not Abstract

When I got safely back to my place and made that call to let them know I was home, I sat on my bed for a long time, my thoughts suspended. Not because of lingering fear, but because something deep and warm filled my heart. Every detail of that night came back together in my mind, and in that darkness, I saw clearly again where God stood in my life.

I had believed in Him since childhood, heard countless testimonies, heard “God answers prayer” more times than I could count. But that night - when every door was shut, every car drove away, and I stood alone in an unfamiliar darkness with no way out - God did not send a chariot from heaven. He did not miraculously light up my broken phone screen.

He just, not far away, prepared for me a group of young people dancing to a beat, and the sound of “umc-umc-umc”.

“But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.”

（Psalm 33:18）

I know now that the “umc-umc” was not just music. It was God’s answer.

He watched over me - not because my faith was so strong, but because He is simply the God who watches over His own.

“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”

（Isaiah 65:24）

Who were those young people? I still don’t know. Were they Christians? I’m not sure. But I know that on that night, they were God’s hands. They were God’s love wearing sneakers and T-shirts, stopping an entire practice session for a lost stranger.

The God I had known since childhood became utterly real to me in that remote industrial zone. He is not a character from a Sunday school story, not a figure painted on stained glass. He is the One who, when I was most helpless, truly watched over me, truly guided me, truly loved me.

God’s help does not always come as a supernatural miracle. More often than not, it comes through people - in the most concrete, the most warm, the most human way.

Those young people probably never knew that they, on that night, became a beam of God’s grace.

God’s love is not abstract. It stops bleeding. It bandages wounds. It gives you water. It takes you home.

VII. Final Words: When You Also Walk the Dark Road

Every one of us has our own “dark road.”

Sometimes it’s a bad decision. Sometimes a sudden accident. Sometimes a cry that no one answers.

We knock, but no one opens.

We wave, but no one stops.

But this testimony reminds us:

Darkness is not the end of the story.

Maybe, right where you can’t see, God has already prepared the answer.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

(Romans 8:28)

That light may not be as blinding as the sun—

it might be just a distant beat of music, a group of strangers, a kind word.

But that is enough. Enough to lead you out of the dark.