“Ametenda Maajabu Nami Siwezi Kuelezaa” is a beautiful South African Swahili worship song which means, “He (God) has done wonders which I cannot explain”. Indeed, God did inexplicable wonders just barely two weeks before my dad’s passing on 19 Nov 2018!

 

Dad was a man of strong will and determination. He was not easily influenced by anyone into changing his mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many had attempted to share the Gospel with him over the years but he made his resistance known. Even when a pastor visited him, he would deliberately walk around the house instead of sitting down to listen to his sharing. Interestingly, though he was not open to the Gospel, never once did he reject prayers.

 

In 2018, he was diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer and had a surgery to remove the tumor. Over the following months, his health deteriorated.

 

I accelerated my attempts at sharing God’s Word

Knowing that his days were numbered, I accelerated my attempts at sharing God’s Word with him in whatever ways I knew how, in the hope that his heart would be softened. I explained to him the Parable of the Lost Sheep and Revelation 3:20, and got him to listen to our Chinese Pastor Thong’s sermons on Psalm 23:1-2 which spoke about the Shepherd’s love – security misplaced in the temporal (such as wealth, power, beauty, relationship, and even health) could be readily shaken; but true peace could only be found in an unchangeable God and His eternal love.

 

I wrestled with the Lord

However, dad still maintained his stand to remain an atheist. In desperation, I wrestled with the Lord in prayer. I told the Lord that I had already done what I could and that I would leave the rest into His hands. Only God and God alone could change his heart – ‘for no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him’ (John 6:44).

 

Two days later a big surprise came. Dad said he had accepted Jesus! Mum, who is already a Christian was very happy. The whole family was overjoyed! However, he was not willing to be baptized. We continued to read the Scriptures to him daily while his health worsened and was hospitalized. One week later, Dad asked for prayer and said he would like to be baptized! Immediately Pastor Thong and his assistant Kiff made their way to the hospital to conduct the baptism.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lord moves in His time and at His speed

When the Lord moves, He moves in His time, and He certainly moved with speed! Our relatives were stunned when told about dad’s baptism because they knew very well that he was a hard-core atheist. Yet with God, nothing is impossible.

 

Three days later, the One who led him to Himself, and led him to water baptism, came and led him to be with Him in His eternal home – dad passed away peacefully.

 

Many had sown the Gospel seed into his life over the years. But it was God who did His mighty wonders within two weeks before dad met his Maker. Surely He works in mysterious ways we cannot see nor comprehend. Indeed, “Ametenda Maajabu”!