Irene’s Story
- I am so thankful that our Father is always watching over and reaching out to us. He knows and is interested in every single detail of our lives.
A faithful God
It has been 5 years since I heeded the call of God and joined my husband in Hong Kong. It was a turbulent period of 5 years. Many times I find myself wondering what I am doing here. Time and again God had to perform miracles to reassure me that I am His child and just as He has seen me through the good and bad times, He will see me through the future. The people whom we are trying to reach out to are apparently more interested in making money than getting to know God. To a certain extent, I can identify with them because I often asked myself why I chose to give up everything just to embark on this seemingly unfruitful task. However, the God I serve is a faithful God. After 5 long years we are starting to see the fruits of our labour; people are giving their lives to God and experiencing miracles of healing and restoration. Yes, we still face problems. But we are able to walk in victory because of our great God. Nothing is too difficult for Him. He never fails us. He is interested in all areas of our lives.
I remembered on one occasion, I was feeling rather down. For a few days, my relationship with God was limited to 3 prayers a day – giving thanks for breakfast, lunch and dinner. God then spoke to me in a dream. In this dream, I was holding on to a young girl’s hand. As I held her hand, sores started to appear on her hand and the sight became so ghastly that I loosened my grip. Then the Lord said to me, ‘This is your daughter.’ My response was that it cannot be because no matter how terrible a situation my daughter is in, I will never let go of her hand. The Lord replied, ‘You are my daughter, I will never let go of your hand!’ Wow! I was so awed that I could not help but repented of my lack of communion with Him. I am so thankful that our Father is always watching over and reaching out to us. He knows and is interested in every single detail of our lives.
Since giving up our secular careers, my husband and I have to learn to live by faith. Never has this Bible verse been so real as during this season of our lives – ‘And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus’, Philippians 4:19. As someone who has always been blessed to give, it was very difficult for me to accept that I am now on the receiving end. I often became very discouraged as I felt as though I was no different from a beggar. God, in His love and mercy, chose extraordinary ways to remind me that He is my Provider. Not only that, since He is the King and He is my Father, therefore I am His princess. One night, between 2 and 3 am, I received a text on my cell phone. A couple, whom we briefly knew, informed us that they were giving us an amount of money as a blessing. I was shocked. I thought, ‘Lord, is this real? How is it possible that they are so generous? We hardly know them.’ And God said, ‘So do you still think you are a beggar? Do people give such huge sum of money to beggars?’ I was flabbergasted. Yes, only God can perform the impossible. However, I am only human and thoughts of inferiority tend to besiege me now and then. One Sunday, after service, another brother blessed us with a love offering. God used that to speak to me as well as to remind me once again that He is my Provider. I had an interesting conversation with God that day.
A conversation with God
- God: Who is he?
Me: A brother in church.
God: How well does he know you?
Me: Not very well, he used to live around my area and we often see him drive past us.
God: Does he know that you own a landed property?
Me: Yes, since on occasions, he has stopped to say hello.
God: If you see a beggar and know that he owns a landed property, would you give money to him? Likewise, if you know the person selling tissue at the hawker centre owns a landed property, would you still buy a packet of tissue from him?
I replied sheepishly that I would not.
A sufficient portion
God used another miracle to remind me that He is my Provider and that I will never ever be in need. When I went to Hong Kong, one of the items I had in my luggage was a tube of used cleanser (100ml). I use this cleanser every morning. Three years after being in HK, one morning God alerted me that I started using this tube of cleanser back in Singapore before I came to HK and that I have already been in HK for 3 years and this tube of cleanser is still dispensing cream every morning. Can you believe it? I just habitually used the tube and did not even notice that it never run out. God had to nudge me and said, “Hey, do you even realise that a miracle is taking place right before your very eyes everyday?” It has been 5 years now and I am still using that same tube of cleanser. Every time I use it, I whisper a prayer of thanksgiving to God. He is truly our Provider. The amazing thing is that for a very long time, I knew that the tube was almost empty as it was very light and you can tell by holding it that there isn’t much cream left. However every morning when I squeeze the tube, a little cream will appear without fail – a sufficient portion to cleanse my face.
Am I special in the sight of God? Yes, I am truly very special to God. I am His daughter and He loves me enough to perform miracles after miracles just to catch my attention and to let me know that He is always there for me. But, am I more special than anyone else who is a child of God? No, I am not. God loves each one of us in His own special ways. He has no favourites. What He has done for me, He can do the same and even much more for each and everyone of us!
