Imagine being trapped with no way out and only a slim chance that someone might find a message calling for help.
In 2019, three hikers set out on a four-day trip through California’s Arroyo Seco Gorge. Three days later, they reached a 40-foot waterfall and discovered they were trapped.
High water from spring runoff had made the river deeper and swifter than expected. Though a rope had been available on the route years earlier, it was now gone, making it too dangerous to descend the waterfall. Backtracking through the gorge was also not a safe option. With no cell service and no clear way out, they were stranded.
One of the hikers had a desperate idea. He quickly found a small piece of paper and wrote the date, their approximate location, and the message “Get help please!” on it. He sealed the note inside an empty water bottle, carved “HELP” on the outside, and sent it over the waterfall, hoping someone downstream woulImagine being trapped with no way out and only a slim chance that someone might find a message calling for help.
In 2019, three hikers set out on a four-day trip through California’s Arroyo Seco Gorge. Three days later, they reached a 40-foot waterfall and discovered they were trapped.
High water from spring runoff had made the river deeper and swifter than expected. Though a rope had been available on the route years earlier, it was now gone, making it too dangerous to descend the waterfall. Backtracking through the gorge was also not a safe option. With no cell service and no clear way out, they were stranded.
One of the hikers had a desperate idea. He quickly found a small piece of paper and wrote the date, their approximate location, and the message “Get help please!” on it. He sealed the note inside an empty water bottle, carved “HELP” on the outside, and sent it over the waterfall, hoping someone downstream would find it.
The plan worked. Hikers discovered the bottle, alerted authorities, and search-and-rescue crews found the group the following day. You can imagine how relieved they were when help finally arrived.
This story has made me wonder what I would do if I needed saving. What if a message containing vital information could help me get out of a trap an enemy had set? The God of Scripture is portrayed as One who desperately seeks to commune and fellowship with His lost children. Sin broke our relationship with God, and part of what was lost was our ability to commune with Him face to face. God chose and called special men and women throughout history to bear His message to anyone who would listen—messages of hope and encouragement, as well as warning and rebuke. God alone decides whom He will reveal Himself to and appoint as His prophets.
Some prophets were given the task of recording what God revealed to them. These writings eventually formed part of the canon we call the Bible. Other prophets were just as inspired by God but were not tasked with writing for future generations—for example, Elijah, Nathan, and Anna.
It’s my firm belief that in these final days of earth’s history, Ellen G. White fulfills the role of this latter group. Her writings are not canon, like Scripture, but she is nevertheless just as inspired by God as biblical prophets. While her role may be different, the Source of her messages is the same. She not only passes the scriptural tests of a prophet, but her writings are also full of hope, guidance, and safeguards especially pertinent for our time.
It’s common to hear stories about the misuse of her writings in our church today. Twisting a prophet’s writings and meaning is something that has been common throughout biblical history. Many in Christ’s time had large portions of the Old Testament memorized, yet some were able to plot the death of the One to whom all Scripture testifies.
I would encourage readers to read Ellen G. White for themselves and not allow someone else’s sour experience to paint an inaccurate picture of her. I believe you will find, as I have, that when you give God a chance through her writings, you will grow to appreciate the beautiful truths of the Bible in greater detail and, as a result, grow closer to the One who inspired her message.