Even before we were born, God is orchestrating the events in our lives according to His perfect plans. We were created to fulfill His specific purpose, chosen for Himself even before the world began.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we … might be for the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:11-12 NIV)
God is intimately involved in the events in our daily lives to accomplish His purpose. Our role is simply to trust Him and allow Him to work through us to fulfill His perfect plans. He changes us for the better and guides us to be what He wants us to be. Everything that happens to me, whether it is a blessing or a misfortune, goes through Him before it touches me. My life’s journey through the years even before I became His child, affirmed that it was His unseen Hand that leads and guides me to fulfill His perfect plans for me.
Facing Poverty
Immediately after my Grandpa’s funeral, my Dad faced a legal dispute over the distribution of his estate because Grandpa left us without making a will. To avoid a long-drawn out legal battle, Dad agreed to share Grandpa’s estate with his adopted sister and two distant and undeserving relatives, despite knowing he was the rightful heir being Grandpa’s only son.
After the settlement, Dad was left with the family business and residence without sufficient funds to raise a growing family of ten children to adulthood. When the business started losing money because of the economic downturn, my family faced extreme poverty.
Overnight Mum was reduced to washing clothes for the neighbours and making cakes to sell in the market to supplement the family income. Mum showed me, by her example, never to be ashamed of being poor and to be proud of every single dollar earned through honest labour. Young as I was then, I shared Mum’s struggle to feed the family. There was no washing machine then and all the laundry was done by hand. My small, feeble hands were more a hindrance than a help. But seeing the joy in Mum’s smile and the love in her eyes, that I was willing to help her despite my tender age, was a memory I cherished forever in my heart. Growing up, I learned to handle hardships on my own to ease Mum’s burden. I became obsessively determined to be financially independent and took upon myself to support the family in every which way I could. My security then was having a huge bank account!
Now that I am a Christian, my sense of security is no longer on how much money I have in the bank but on the power of Jesus Christ, my Sovereign God. He is in control of everything and nothing happens without going through Him. He promised that we do not have to worry “about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matthew 6:34) We are not to worry about what to eat, drink or what to wear. Our heavenly Father who takes care of the birds in the air and flowers in the field, will certainly take care of us who are more valuable to Him. (Matthew 6:25-34) Instead of worrying about tomorrow, seek first to live life to fulfill His purpose and live for His glory.
As a Business Owner
As the financial needs of the family increased, my meagre monthly salary was not sufficient to provide for all the growing needs of the family. After being an employee for 19 years, the Lord led me to start my own business: the first local stock photo library in Malaysia. Despite my ignorance and lack of business acumen, the Lord guided and steered me to succeed. Looking back I know now that the successful business was certainly not due to my own wisdom or foresight. It was the Lord’s unseen hand that was leading and guiding me even though I was not a Christian then.
Flushed with success, I could now afford to move to a bigger apartment nearer to my office. I bought an apartment which was located near a church. It was the Lord’s perfect plan that one year after my move to the new apartment, I accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour and was baptised in that church. As a Christian, I am now a part of the body of Christ, His hands and feet on planet Earth. Using the resources of the company, I produced framed pictures and desktop calendars for sale, donating the proceeds to bless shelter homes and orphanages.
After more than two decades in the business, the Lord prompted me to retire. The business had become an idol of worship, an addiction I can’t live without. I was clinging stubbornly to an identity that was defined by my company and spending too much time basking in its success instead of fulfilling the Lord’s purpose. The business had fulfilled its objectives: giving me the financial independence I was striving for and the means to raise funds to help the poor and homeless. It was time now to put the business to sleep and focus instead on fulfilling the Lord’s purpose for me.
God is working in you. He wants your plans and your acts to fulfill His good purpose. (Philippians 2:13 NIRV)
Gifted to Serve
A few months after my retirement, while on vacation with a group of senior members of my church, I shared my testimony. After hearing my testimony, several members encouraged me to put my testimony in writing. I was then reminded of my love to write. I wrote my testimony and shared it with more members; I wrote book reviews to encourage members to read and borrow books from the church library. Later I was tasked with the job of editing the church’s 50th anniversary book.
It was by chance that I noticed Asian Beacon’s writing competition in my Facebook which I had not visited since my retirement. I submitted my testimony for the competition and it was selected to be included in the public poll. I didn’t garner enough votes to win any of the cash prizes but I was invited to join the writing team.
It was the Lord’s plan that I should use my gift to write to spread the Good News, especially to those who are still outside the kingdom.
Each of us should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)
God’s Prevailing Plans
When I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, the doctor advised me to have a thorough eye check up annually because the medication I was prescribed might cause some visual impairment. During the second annual eye examination, a vigilant doctor discovered that my optic nerves were slightly damaged in both eyes. After several tests, it was confirmed that I have glaucoma and should have it treated immediately to prevent further damage to the optic nerves.
The glaucoma which I mistakenly thought as a misfortune was in fact a blessing. A few days after the diagnosis, a church member informed me that because of my glaucoma, I was qualified to apply for an Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU) card for people with disabilities. I submitted my application and received my OKU card in record time. With the OKU card, I am entitled to free medical consultations, tests and medication together with several rebates from some government taxes. I am also entitled to park in the designated bays reserved for the physically handicapped. This entitlement was a huge blessing to me in my twilight years, a retiree without any income but many medical problems.
Once again the Lord’s perfect plan prevail, that in “all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) What we consider as mistakes or misfortunes, will be turned into blessings to fulfill His specific plans for us.
Close and Personal Relationship
To fulfill His Father’s mission, Jesus gave up heaven temporarily, to come down to earth to reveal that God wants an intimate relationship with His people: a close and personal relationship where we could address God as “Abba, Father”. We are God’s children, chosen by Him to be His own. Our sole purpose on earth is to give Him glory not finding glory for ourselves. When we have a close relationship with God, He will lead us to be what He wants us to be. The Lord’s plans doesn’t depend on us, but on Him. We can’t fulfill God’s plans on our own. We might make a wrong choice or lose focus but God will faithfully work through our mistakes to bring about His purpose. No matter what happens, we can trust that He will finish what He started.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6 ESV)
Make room for God so that He can enter and live in us. Invite God into every happy or sad occasion of our lives. Let God be “closer than breathing and nearer than hands and feet”, wrote Alfred Tennyson. When the Spirit of God lives within us, we have access to an inner voice of the Spirit, the voice of God Himself.
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