In Him We Trust
Mrs Catherine Tan
Praise be to God for His wonderful grace and mercy, for His protection over all of us who went on the 13th Holy Land Pilgrimage in March this year, and for His guiding hand in all that we saw, heard, felt and experienced during our very brief sojourn in the lands of the Old and New Testaments. We were also very blessed to have with us a good spiritual leader in Rev Dr Jeffrey Khoo, and his wife, Jemima who with her detailed and careful planning ensured a smooth and pleasant journey for all of us.
Visiting Israel was the last thing on my mind last year, especially when I was suddenly and unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2007. The unsettling experience of treating the cancer with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments turned my usually uneventful life upside down. Both my husband and I had just started worshipping at True Life
Bible-Presbyterian Church and attending catechism classes when the ‘cancer’ came knocking on my door, and initially it was hard for me not to wonder and question whether the Lord had sent this on as a test of our faith.
When I shared this with a Christian family member, he reminded me that by leading us to worship at True Life with its strong emphasis on studying the Word of the Lord in the Holy Bible, the Lord had wonderfully prepared the foundation for us so that when we go through this very trying
period, we can and will be able to dip into that strong foundation (being the Lord’s Word) of faith, grace and mercy and find continuing solace and comfort! “…. It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
When my husband heard last year that Rev Dr Timothy Tow and Mrs Ivy Tow was organizing the 13th pilgrimage to the Holy Land in early 2008, I was still in the midst of my chemotherapy treatments and we were unsure if I could complete my treatment in time. We prayed for the Lord’s guidance on our participation in this trip, trusting that He will direct us according to His will. Having blessed me with doctors who are Christians, both my oncologist and radiologist worked together (the former by reducing the intervals between my chemo-cycles and yet ensuring that I remained healthy enough to start each cycle anew, and the latter by starting my radiotherapy treatment as soon as possible after I had completed my chemotherapy) so that I could finish my treatments in time for me to go on this pilgrimage. I greatly thank the Lord for His perfect timing as He allowed me to finish all my treatments barely one week before our pilgrimage departure date. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
During this pilgrimage, there were many messages and lessons worth revisiting and keeping in mind as we read the relevant chapters of the Holy Bible each day to provide context to the places that we visited, but the single strongest message that kept resonating through me was the need for me to humble myself and trust in the Lord in order to do His will. From Abraham’s faithful obedience to God’s call for him to leave his country, his family and his father’s house for a land unknown to him that God would show him and his continued obedience to God’s instruction to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord, to the Great Commission of the early apostles, we heard and read the numerous examples of acts of surrender and trust in the Lord’s will.
But the greatest example was set by the Lord Jesus Christ as He prayed in agony at the garden of Gethsemane, contemplating the cup of intense suffering and death on the cross to come and yet humbling and submitting Himself to the will of God, “…O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39).
At Gethsemane, I saw a signboard that had been placed on a part of the perimeter fence of the garden with its gnarled and ancient olive trees, which had quoted the above verse 39 and also included a simple prayer that touched a chord within me, “O Jesus, in deepest night and agony You spoke these words of trust and surrender to God the father in Gethsemane. In love and gratitude, I want to say in times of fear and distress, ‘My father, I do not understand You but I trust You.’”
Yes, if not for my Lord Jesus submitting himself to God’s will and undergoing crucifixion and painful death on the cross for our sins, we would not have this great gift of salvation freely given to all who believe in Him. And seeing the words of that simple prayer, I was reminded that I too have much to praise and thank Him for teaching me during the period of my brush with cancer to surrender the pain of the surgery and chemo treatments and the pangs of fear and anxiety to God, to continually trust in His will, and to refrain from questioning His reasons whilst trying to understand His will and the path that He would have me walk.
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand” (Psalm 37:23-24).
Seeking comfort in God’s Word at all times, and knowing that God in His goodness will uphold me and keep me strong, it is with the grace of the Lord Almighty that I have now come through that period of ill health in good stead and have had the wonderful opportunity to walk in the land that the Lord Jesus walked during His time on earth. I am ever grateful for God’s love, care and protection, for the privilege of being able to call Him my Lord and Saviour, and for the opportunity to bring glory to His name.
All praise and glory be to God!
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The Lord Provides
Dear True Lifers,
May God’s grace be upon you all at this time.
Last month, I received a gift from True Life B-P Church for AU$2,630.20. We banked it promptly, and have already drawn on it for insurance renewal, electricity a/c, car fund, and several other “basics”. We thank God for you all, and in particular, those who have given to help us in time of need. Our fuel costs are rocketing, and diesel (which we use a fair amount of) is now around AU$1.65/litre. It is more expensive than unleaded petrol. Still, the Lord provides.
Not sure if you have heard that we have booked to come to Singapore in June. We plan to attend to Calvary Pandan Camp, and then have a week in S’pore to meet some folks, and encourage the saints where possible. D.V. we will have a Lord’s Day morning at True Life. We would be there on either the 1st, 8th, or 15th June. If I could be of any help in the pulpit, I would be only too happy to oblige. My health is about the same as last year, and I preach 9 weeks out of 10 here in Cootamundra.
Just today, we received an extensive mailout of material regarding the stoush with Life Church. In a strange way we are edified by all this, as we also went through similar battles here in the earlier years. We are quite convinced that True Life’s position is the correct one, and we fully support you in it. Do not give up in prayer, as we have seen some remarkable reverses in fortunes in similar situations – esp when all seems lost.
For encouragement, I will draw your attention to Psalm 119:160 – “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth forever”.
Stay on course, brethren, God does not forsake those who are faithful to his cause!
With our strong prayers, and best wishes,
Peter and Anne Clements and family Cootamundra, Australia
April 10, 2008
