My Experiences of GOD (Christine Chung)

I would like to share some of my recent experiences.

One day in May 2007, I was very down after a heated argument with my husband regarding some money matters. I tried to bury my anger by doing the household chores, mopping and cleaning the house continually.

Then, an sms came; it was from a sister of our church. I wondered what had prompted her to send me the sms, because to my surprise, the message consisted of a few simple Japanese words. Even though the words were simple, it meant so much to me! I used to converse with my Japanese colleagues before my retirement. Those simple words brought back sweet memories. Just reading the sms comforted me and gave me a warm feeling in my heart. By sending it, this sister brightened up my day of sorrow. All thanks and praise to the Lord.

It was all the more touching, as when we met up later, she mentioned that our Father in Heaven had prompted her to say hello to me. So she had obeyed and sent that sms to me. As I heard her sharing that, tears rolled down my cheeks. I knew our Merciful Father had been watching me, and I had felt His deep care for me. He knew I was depressed and so He had sent this angel to console me.

I must also share that my relationship with this particular sister was not that deep, due to my fear of making English grammar mistakes. It was my pride that hindered me from getting close to her; our relationship in church was very superficial. And of all people, God sent her to me. Why? Well, it is very simple - He wanted us to deepen our relationship with one another. It is His desire to build up the church, to unite all members of the church. From that moment, I feared no more to talk with her and we have since developed a close relationship.

On the evening of 25 June 2007, when I opened a drawer to take out my clothing, I saw a big-print Bible in it. I took it out and flipped a few pages, then a voice from my heart said, “Bring it to Uncle P.” I replied and said “Oh, there’s no need; the brothers’ household has many Bibles.” But the voice continued, repeating the same message, and again I replied the same thing. In the end I did not bring it to the Bible Study. After the songs, when we were getting ready to begin the Bible Study session, there was a small commotion. This Uncle P (who is over 88 years old) brought out a tiny Bible; it was impossible for him to read the words and a sister was trying to lend him a bigger print Bible. Immediately I was convicted. Only then, I realized that it was the Lord who was instructing me to bring my large-print Bible for Uncle P, as He foreknew that Uncle P would bring this small Bible.

Uncle P had found this small Bible in his son’s room. His son had passed away just a week earlier. Perhaps he was comforted with having his son’s Bible in his hand. The sadness of losing a son, I was not able to feel. But our Father in Heaven certainly understood this loss and had compassion on Uncle P. I had rejected the blessing that comes from obedience to Him, and also, I had given a deaf ear to a needy one. I was so ashamed of myself that I could not concentrate on the Bible Study. I confessed my wrongdoing in front of the group immediately after the Bible Study and also apologized to Uncle P. Later that night I also begged for forgiveness from the Lord.

Through these two experiences, I have learnt that God cares for everybody. When you are in sorrow, He will send somebody to comfort you and when you are in need, He will provide. But He also waits for us to respond and to obey His voice. Perhaps you are the one to be sent to bring His blessing to someone in need. We will miss His blessing if we turn down His offer to co-work with Him in caring for His people. It was certainly a good lesson for me to learn.

On 13 July 2007 at 1.30pm, I went to the bank to settle some matters concerning my accounts. I parked my car a few shops down the road. At that time, I noticed a group of about twenty men walking all over this parking area. They must have just finished the Friday prayers at a nearby mosque.

I walked into the bank and spoke to the bank officer about what I needed to get done. She asked me to fill out the relevant forms and I took a seat to wait for my number to be called. After about 15 - 20 minutes, I noticed that I did not have my wallet with me. It had over RM800 in cash and there were three credit cards in it. I started to panic; my hands and legs began trembling. I looked around in the bank but could not find it anywhere, so I rushed outside to search for it. I reached my car, opened the door on the passenger side, but there was no sign of it. I quietly said a prayer to the Lord asking Him to find my wallet because I could not afford to lose it as I have no income nowadays (having retired recently). Then I walked to the driver’s side. Wow! The bright red wallet was lying on the ground, in the space between my car and another one. Oh, I immediately thanked the merciful Lord!

Now that I think about it, I am amazed at the Lord’s protection. He must have “blinded” the eyes of everyone who was walking around. It is impossible that nobody saw my wallet as it lay there for more than twenty minutes; a brightly coloured wallet and on such a bright sunny day. It was certainly a busy road where my car was parked!

There is a verse in Zec 2.17 which says, “Nothing is too difficult for Thee!” It is God, the One who made the heavens and the earth, who has helped me and protected my wallet. He understands my needs.

Through this incident, I have also learnt to be careful in managing God’s property on earth as He does not want me to lose any of it due to my carelessness.

I hope my testimony of these experiences will be a comfort to those who are in grief and loneliness, for our Father in Heaven is compassionate and He understands our sufferings. I also hope that this sharing will remind us all to be obedient to His voice, the One who made the heavens and the earth. In our obedience we shall also not miss the great blessing of working together with our LORD, the God of compassion.