I was trapped in an elevator! I had entered the elevator and was headed up when it stopped between the second and third floors. When I saw what had happened, I said a prayer for my protection. I was trying to stay calm, but suddenly I felt uneasy, and in an instant, I switched from prayer to worry. I asked the Lord for peace, but I was still nervous. In that small space I was bombarded with many thoughts, from the fear of being trapped for a long time, to suddenly being out of breath and suffocating.
I tried to open the elevator manually, because I had heard from someone who’d had a similar experience that if you pulled a lever at the top of the elevator it would open. I looked for that lever, but I couldn’t find it. I tried to open the elevator door with all my strength. The inner panel opened but the outer panel remained closed except for a small crack through which I screamed for help. I yelled over and over at the top of my voice, but it was Sunday and there were no people nearby. No security guards. No concierge. No neighbors were home. Everything was silent. To make matters worse, the elevator alarm did not work.
I prayed desperately to the Lord for calm and trust, and little by little the Lord filled me with His peace. I prayed again, then pressed one of the buttons, and miraculously the inner door that had been open closed and the elevator began to work again. It then took me to the corresponding floor. What a relief!
One of the biggest lessons I learned was to remain still and trust in Jesus. In a situation like that, it is very easy to fall into intense worry and nervousness, but it is important not to give place to thoughts of fear or anxiety. When I received that inner calm and peace from the Lord, He sent me His quietness and confidence, and eventually the elevator started working again.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3). “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear” (Psalm 46:1–2).