David wrote in Psalm 145,
“I will exalt You, my God the King
I will praise Your name forever and ever
Every day I will praise You and extol Your name forever and ever
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise
His greatness no one can fathom
One generation will commend Your works to another
They will tell of Your mighty acts
They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And I will meditate on Your wonderful works
They will tell of the power of Your awesome works
And I will proclaim Your great deeds
They will celebrate Your abundant goodness
And joyfully sing of Your righteousness"
A close friend passed away on the 20th of October. Though always fit and healthy, Yen was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer around her 31st birthday last year. It had spread to her bones and doctors gave her three to four months. The news was devastating and the past fifteen months incredibly arduous, but God spoke clearly about bringing joy into the situation, and so she believed, clung to Him in faith and continually gave thanks.
Yen allowed God to have the last say on how a life-changing event was really going to change her life. She could have lost hope and wavered in her faith or simply chosen to pull back on ministry for the purposes of recuperating, but she pressed on with tenacity to see God move powerfully. And He did.
People may hear of her story and say she lost the battle with a relentless disease. But I say she came out victorious by holding onto God's relentless love. Yes we mourn our loss and grieve for her family, but they too celebrate her getting to be with Jesus far ahead of us all. We rejoice in what she gained through surrendering her fears and burdens to God and choosing to love, serve and honour Him and His people fully no matter what condition her body was in.
People may see a life taken prematurely and call it unfair, but I see a life that was fully given to God and who, in exchange, received emotional healing and blessings beyond what is temporary (such as her parents' salvation). And we are grateful that God gave her far more time than the doctors predicted.
Yen's father, though still young in his faith, spoke to her one day about taking the journey one step at a time with God's grace. He said that while he and her family would fervently pray for her physical wellness, they were ready to let God choose how and when to answer their pleas. Yen's father recognised God's sovereignty and decided to let God be God.
When I read of her father's conviction on the matter, it occurred to me how I always pray with conditions attached. I do this because of fear and the need to protect loved ones, myself and all we have. Despite having experienced God's faithfulness, mercy and generous provision, I am still afraid of getting hurt, and my lack of trusting in His goodness and plans means I try to dictate what should and should not happen in the future.
Yen's testimony has impacted more people than I may ever know because she never gave up believing in who God says He is and in His perfect will. But what I do know is that her legacy of pursuing God wholeheartedly and, in return, experiencing true joy and fulfilment will continue as those of us who had the priviledge to call her friend retell her story and build on the spiritual foundation she has left behind.
I pray that her four-year old daughter will grow in her knowledge of God on a deep and personal level, that she may carry on what Yen started - a declaration of God's wonderful character; proclamation of His mighty works and uninhibited praise for His unending and unfailing love.
[Songs: Set a Fire and I Want to Know You]
“I will exalt You, my God the King
I will praise Your name forever and ever
Every day I will praise You and extol Your name forever and ever
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise
His greatness no one can fathom
One generation will commend Your works to another
They will tell of Your mighty acts
They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And I will meditate on Your wonderful works
They will tell of the power of Your awesome works
And I will proclaim Your great deeds
They will celebrate Your abundant goodness
And joyfully sing of Your righteousness"
A close friend passed away on the 20th of October. Though always fit and healthy, Yen was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer around her 31st birthday last year. It had spread to her bones and doctors gave her three to four months. The news was devastating and the past fifteen months incredibly arduous, but God spoke clearly about bringing joy into the situation, and so she believed, clung to Him in faith and continually gave thanks.
Yen allowed God to have the last say on how a life-changing event was really going to change her life. She could have lost hope and wavered in her faith or simply chosen to pull back on ministry for the purposes of recuperating, but she pressed on with tenacity to see God move powerfully. And He did.
People may hear of her story and say she lost the battle with a relentless disease. But I say she came out victorious by holding onto God's relentless love. Yes we mourn our loss and grieve for her family, but they too celebrate her getting to be with Jesus far ahead of us all. We rejoice in what she gained through surrendering her fears and burdens to God and choosing to love, serve and honour Him and His people fully no matter what condition her body was in.
People may see a life taken prematurely and call it unfair, but I see a life that was fully given to God and who, in exchange, received emotional healing and blessings beyond what is temporary (such as her parents' salvation). And we are grateful that God gave her far more time than the doctors predicted.
Yen's father, though still young in his faith, spoke to her one day about taking the journey one step at a time with God's grace. He said that while he and her family would fervently pray for her physical wellness, they were ready to let God choose how and when to answer their pleas. Yen's father recognised God's sovereignty and decided to let God be God.
When I read of her father's conviction on the matter, it occurred to me how I always pray with conditions attached. I do this because of fear and the need to protect loved ones, myself and all we have. Despite having experienced God's faithfulness, mercy and generous provision, I am still afraid of getting hurt, and my lack of trusting in His goodness and plans means I try to dictate what should and should not happen in the future.
Yen's testimony has impacted more people than I may ever know because she never gave up believing in who God says He is and in His perfect will. But what I do know is that her legacy of pursuing God wholeheartedly and, in return, experiencing true joy and fulfilment will continue as those of us who had the priviledge to call her friend retell her story and build on the spiritual foundation she has left behind.
I pray that her four-year old daughter will grow in her knowledge of God on a deep and personal level, that she may carry on what Yen started - a declaration of God's wonderful character; proclamation of His mighty works and uninhibited praise for His unending and unfailing love.
[Songs: Set a Fire and I Want to Know You]
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