God does miracles. We as believers of Christ know that. We know it from the Bible, like from the book of Exodus or the book of Matthew. We sing praise hymns of how amazing His good works of wonders and miracles were in the time of Moses. Even non-believers themselves know that God is all powerful and can make miracles happen in a wink of an eye. If a high percentage of us can all agree that God does miracles, does it mean that that same percentage of people experience God’s miracles?

Tuition centre was my second home. I showered, ate, finished my school work, joined in some classes and did basically anything a 7 year old girl can do at a tuition centre. I had that routine every day after school and in the evenings, mum picks me home after office hours. Despite the fact that I grew up in an educational area where all my tutors were available to me at all times and could help me in solving my problems in my school subjects, I was not a bright student. I was a late bloomer instead.

Despite all the tutorial help, I still didn’t do well. My total mark averaged below 50% for many exam terms. I remembered how I reacted when I saw a big round zero scored on my BM (Bahasa Melayu) test when I was 8. I remembered how I always stayed back after school to attend extra classes to sharpen my grammar in BM. I was 9 years old and those classes were meant for students who aged 7 years and below. And how could I forget that I can’t even speak proper English. I only started speaking a proper sentence when I was 7. An understandable sentence would already make my mum so proud of me in those days.

My mum could only pray for me and commit it to the Lord. Amazingly, she was not really worried about my education and my future. She knew somehow that whatever it is, God will take care of my future.

When I was 10 in year 2006, my family were given an amazing privilege to move aboard to Rome, Italy. My step dad had been called to do a project there for a few years and he was given a choice to bring his close ones along. He decided to bring us with him. My step dad, mum, older brother, Thomas, and I went together with enthusiasm and excitement to the upper side of the world which has a different climate and a different environment which calls for a different lifestyle. My brother and I were given the opportunity to study in an international school. I made many new friends and learnt so much about different cultures and backgrounds. Besides that, I got the chance to learn new international languages such as Italian, Spanish and French, even though I didn't really speak BM at that point. I took extra classes for English too. I learnt so much when I was there for the first few months. Everything was so different there compared to my old school system back home. We stayed in Rome for nine months and it was through this that everything changed. God had answered my mum’s prayers.

I began to speak better. My English improved after I came back from Rome in the year 2007. I began to do better in school. I used to be always behind in my studies, but later on, I started to get ahead of the students in my class after I came back. And it did not stop there; I continuously grew and became better in studies up to secondary school when I was 17, studying for my final year exam, SPM.

It was on the year 2013 and that difficult period is still very fresh in my mind. I studied very hard. So hard to the point that my head started to hurt. I also began to lose appetite which lead to me losing weight and health. It was a very stressful period due to the fact that I wanted to get the results that would get me a scholarship.

During the trial SPM examination period, I get headaches that seem incurable at that time because it still hurt even after a lot of prayers for recovery. I missed some important trial papers like Biology and Chemistry so that I could rest. Due to the pain, I could not study efficiently for the actual SPM and I worried about my performance in my papers. I prayed and prayed during and after taking all my SPM papers. I prayed in faith and complete trust in the Father to have full control over my life including my future.

On March 20, 2014, our SPM results were announced. I have to admit that I was very nervous but somewhat calm. I didn’t really think of what to expect and was worry-free. Praise God for that! When I went up to queue in the line to take my results, I began to have butterflies in my stomach, that I tried to get everyone to take their results before me. I didn't even want to see it when it was my turn to take it! When I stood in front of the desk opposite my class teacher, she smiled with her eyes. She then stood up and gave me a hug which made me questioned a lot like, “Why is she giving me a hug? Is my results good that she’s proud of me? Or is she just trying to comfort me because I got bad results?” I gave her a puzzled look, thanked her, and went off far away from that crowded place to have a look at my thin piece of paper that seemed so flimsy but important. I widened my eyes in disbelief. I was shocked that I double, or maybe triple, checked the name of the student on that piece of paper. Then mum called me over to find out what I got. She was speechless for a moment and asked me, “Are you satisfied?”

Indeed, I was. After that very day, my mum has been telling all her friends about my achievement from her business friends to our home fellowship group. My mum has been telling about how amazing God has been for me. Our home fellowship leader, Uncle Pao was also amazed and asked my mum to tell me that I should share my testimony to more people through the church's magazine, Rejoice!

On March 19, 2014, when I was on bed ready for a night rest, in the quiet room I whispered, “God, tomorrow is the day. You know all the prayers I've said and how many times I have mentioned them over and over again. Just know that I am not requesting you to give me straight As. The only thing I request for is faith, trust, and peace. May not my will but your will be done. Amen.” If you were wondering what I got for my results, I got 9 As and 1 C.

I really thanked God for writing my life story from the very beginning until now. He had everything planned out and that really assures me that God has a reason for everything. All the strengths, personality traits, and even weaknesses have a reason why God put them in you. God did not simply create you in the way you are right now but made you the way He wants you to be. To Him, you are perfectly imperfect. You already are the miracle. God does not want you to fail but to succeed in His God-given plans specifically made for you only. We are not made to be victims but to be victors. So, do not worry and commit it to the Lord. Trust Him in the heart and believe that God does miracles and He can and will do it in your life. Praise and glory to the Lord!


- Wei Chen

Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

- Matthew 6:25 to 34

Hi

I'd like to share with you something that happened during the preparation of my exams awhile back.

Sometime ago, it was the period of my exams. Before it started I was really scared about how I was going to get through it. There were high expectations of me. So many doubts came creeping into my mind and the pressure kicked in and I was terrified.

But amidst everything I remembered this verse that God spoke to me about sometime ago. It was Matthew 6:34. I decided to read the whole passage the verse came from and when I did God just settled all of my uneasiness.

I grew up in church. And I was taught that God would provide for all our needs. But when I read, “…your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”–it was different! It wasn’t just some children’s church teacher or my mom telling me that “Hey! God provides for you you know!” These were the words of Jesus, our God. And he said specifically to me and he’s saying it to you, “Hey! I provide for you you know! I know what you need so don’t worry man.” It was amazing.

I was sitting in CG one day and we were talking about how Jesus gave His whole life for us. And honestly for a long time, I’ve overlooked this. I mean yes, I knew that it was beyond painful when Jesus was beaten and bruised and then crucified. But I thought about it and it occurred to me that when He died on the cross, Jesus felt the same way another person felt when I hurt that person or thought wrong of that person. Just imagine: the curses you throw at the person who cuts your lane in a terrible jam (for those who drive), the hatred that you have for this friend at school who just cannot stop irritating you, that you feel when you hear stories of kidnappers, animal-abusers, child-abusers, murderers and rapists, and the hatred that you bear against other people. Or maybe the feelings that you have when your parents or your friends or your school teacher looks down on you with disappointment. Jesus felt every single one of these feelings on the cross. And on top of that He was whipped, had his flesh torn, was spat on and was beaten badly. I also learnt that He carried a cross that weighed about 300 pounds. And He overcame all this. This is our Jesus.

Where am I getting with all this? Jesus was not born in vain. He did not die so we could worry. He did not rise from the grave three days later so we could spend our lives hating it. Whatever situation you’re in, whether it’s exams or a problem at home or whatever, remember that God knows what you need. Jesus knows what you need. We just need to let Him take over and do what He has to do.

I do still worry at times. But I am reminded and I find comfort in these verses, that God has it all under control and that He will come through for me. And He did! I didn't get top of the class for my exam results, and I didn't do half as well as my other friends did. But my results were good. And everyone was happy. I wouldn't have done better without Him there guiding me through the papers.

I pray that these verses and words blesses you the same way it blessed me.

Let go and let God. Don’t worry.

"…seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."


- Basil