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© Amy Nielsen |
'He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.' Psalm 147:3
Our dear friend and beloved Christian brother, Chin Leng, died in the early morning hours of 15 Nov 2023. He fought a long, arduous and heroic battle with pancreatic cancer. He died peacefully, his young wife and daughter by his side. He fought courageously against the cancer, inspiring many others by the strength of his faith, the stamina of his body and the fortitude of his mind.
Chin Leng recorded a personal testimony from his hospital room of how he came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. In his cachexic state, he presented the gospel and urged the hearers to receive Jesus Christ. He exuded a confidence in God who comforts him and Christ, his companion, as he entered the final path of his earthly journey. His testimony is and will be an inspiration to many.
The Lord Jesus Christ is Chin Leng's shepherd.
'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.' Psalm 23:1-4 (NKJV)
I tried to comfort the young widow and daughter with these words, "Even though you both will grieve and mourn your loss, yet take heart that the Lord is always by Chin Leng's side and they now spend eternity together. In time all of us will be reunited with Chin Leng for we too share his faith and love of Jesus. May the love of Jesus Christ and the comfort He brings be with you both and give you joy in this time of sorrow."
But no word of comfort will soothe the grief. This is a time to mourn. Jesus said that those who mourn will be blessed.
'Blessed are those mourn, for they shall be comforted.' Matthew 5:5 (NKJV)
In declaring a blessing on mourning, Jesus is saying that grief will be everyone's experience but the blessing that comes with mourning is the blessing of being comforted. That morning when Chin Leng died the verse of the day given me was
'He heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds.' Psalm 147:3
- Jesus will heal us. God is saying that mourning is inevitable, it may even take a long time but it is still temporary. It is temporary because the Lord will begin to heal us and tend to our wounds.
'...weeping may last through the night but joy comes with the morning.' Psalms 30:5b (NLT)
- Jesus will carry our burden
'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.' Matthew 11:28-30
'Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.' 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
'For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Romans 8:38-39
Chin Leng always had hope, the hope of glory. It is because of God's great love for him, as he shared with me recently from his hospital bed
'Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. Let him bury his face in the dust— there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace.
For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.' Lamentations 3:22-33
Though the grieving will last through many nights, yet the morning will break and a new dawn, a new hope will appear. Even 'when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit, I find my Saviour there. 'There is a hope that burns within my heart.'
There is a hope that burns within my heart,
That gives me strength for every passing day;
A glimpse of glory now revealed in meagre part,
Yet drives all doubt away:
I stand in Christ, with sins forgiven;
And Christ in me, the hope of heaven!
My highest calling and my deepest joy,
To make His will my home.
There is a hope that lifts my weary head,
A consolation strong against despair,
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit,
I find the Saviour there!
Through present sufferings, future’s fear,
He whispers ‘courage’ in my ear.
For I am safe in everlasting arms,
And they will lead me home.
There is a hope that stands the test of time,
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave,
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine
When I behold His face!
When sufferings cease and sorrows die,
And every longing satisfied.
Then joy unspeakable will flood my soul,
For I am truly home.
And so farewell for now, dear friend and brother, Chin Leng. We shall meet again.
Lionel
