Keeping Faith In Adversity

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7 NIV)

Life is a gift from God. It is unpredictable and perfect in its imperfections. It could change instantly due to an unexpected tragedy or a traumatic event such as losing a job, a sudden loss of a loved one or a cancer diagnosis.  God has not promised us life here free of adversities, pain and sufferings as they are integral of human life in this present world. But God has promised to deliver us, His children, out of and through all our afflictions when we believe and trust in Him.

Many adversities come to the one who is righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all. (Psalms 34:19 HCSB)

 In times of adversity, faith distinguishes those who inherit God’s promises and those who do not. Wong Sai Weng is a shining example of the former as he journeyed through his retrenchment in the late 1980s and recent years with prostate cancer. Sai Weng, who served the Lord as a church elder for more than 30 years, trusted in God ultimately to see him through these personal life challenges.

His Journey of Faith

Facing Retrenchment

His first personal challenge was his retrenchment by his company in 1988 due to Malaysia’s prevailing financial and economic downturn.  At that time, he held a management position in a manufacturing company and provided quite comfortably for his family. His retrenchment jolted the entire family out of their comfort zone. Faced with the sudden loss of a regular income while having a growing family of three children to provide for, he had to make some hard choices. He had to decide whether to move to another state to find alternative employment. But he did not panic like many of his colleagues who were in the same predicament. He knows that God, who has the power to control all things, will see him through this challenge.

While struggling with these difficult decisions, he continued to trust in God’s faithfulness. He continued diligently serving the Lord in his church and his ministry on pastoral care. He finally decided to stay close to his family and his church instead of moving away from them. Life was certainly not easy without his regular income, and he had to learn to make many adjustments to cope with the lack of finance. But the Lord is always faithful. He provided for all his family’s essential needs, including the educational needs of his three children, one of whom received a scholarship to study medicine.

Battling  Cancer

Sai Weng was diagnosed with stage-4 prostate cancer in August 2013. Despite the advanced stage of the disease, he was peacefully calm, fully accepting that God is in control and his life is in His merciful hands. His attending oncologist confirmed that his cancer had already spread outside the prostate gland and must be treated immediately, or he may have only six months to live.  In obedience to the Bible verse of apostle James’ advice to the sick, he called the church elders to pray over him and anoint him with oil.

Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up. (James 5:14-15 ESV)

As part of his treatment plan,  he underwent an initial hormonal treatment,  followed by radiotherapy at the National Cancer Institute in Putrajaya. It was an aggressive treatment of a total of 35 sessions of radiotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy spread over two years.

Loving Care of Church Members

When his illness was made known publicly to the congregation members during a Sunday worship service, there was an outpouring of practical support from caring members. Some members volunteered to provide daily transport to Putrajaya for his daily treatment, while others sent bottles of fresh ginger juice and fresh coconuts daily to his residence! Some members initiated and participated in a 24-hour prayer chain.

His eldest son shared that he was deeply touched and grateful for the overflow of love, prayer support and practical help from the church members. This band of volunteers was indeed a great help to his mother, who was then the primary caregiver. Sai Weng also acknowledged that his wife is “a loving life partner”, consistently praying for his health and living up to their marriage vows taken 52 years ago “… for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health….”

Surviving Cancer

After his treatment was completed, he was in remission for about four years without any further treatment. His youngest son, an oncologist, described his remission as a “minor miracle” in medical history. He shared that it is very rare for a stage-4 cancer patient to have a remission for this length of time. His father’s peaceful demeanour and calmness throughout his illness have never been exhibited by any of his own patients.  Any doctor will agree that the absence of peace, because of stress, fear or worry, endangers physical health and healing as much as any dangerous microbe or virus. His father committed his illness and healing into the divine hands of the Lord, thus making it possible for peace amid his affliction.  Sai Weng is 77 years old today and has been a prostate cancer survivor for eight years.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27NIV)

Living a New Lease of Life

Sai Weng has put to good use the extra years the Lord has given him by sharing the Good News with new friends and counselling the new members of the Prostate Cancer Society of Malaysia (PCSM), where he had been a member since its inception some five years ago. In PCSM, he has the opportunity to meet with members from various ethnic and religious backgrounds. The Lord has opened the door for him to reach out to individuals who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is thankful that he can connect with these new members who need advice on possible treatment and other related issues. His primary purpose was to give them a measure of comfort and assurance to support their journey ahead.

About two years ago, he and his wife started a new hobby growing flowers and organic vegetables in his small garden at the front and back of the house. These activities have created new opportunities to chat with their neighbours and passers-by in the neighbourhood, especially during this recent lockdown where people movement was restricted. His wife, who has a special gift of making friends, quickly became friends with the neighbours, thus allowing them to also share the Good News with them.

Journeying  Ahead

He had to start his cancer treatment again more than a year ago because a localised lesion was detected within the prostate gland. Despite the relapse, he is thankful for the extra years the Lord has already given him. Grateful that having received God’s comfort, he can now share the comfort he has received from God with others who face the same cancer. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV) He has come to terms with his mortality. He realised that the time he spends on earth, with all its joy and grief, triumph and failure, is a mere preparation for his life in eternity, his new home in heaven. Here I quote his  words of encouragement to those taking the same  journey ahead:

“As a believer in Jesus Christ, I know that this world that I am currently living in is not my permanent home. There will be a time limit set by my Lord for my stay on this planet earth. After that, heaven will be my home. For now, I can look for comfort and assurance from the Scriptures found in Philippians 3:13-14 ‘…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead’ as a reminder and encouragement to help me end well. Yesterday is past and gone; tomorrow is in God’s hands. What we have left is today! We can only live one day at a time. To God be the Glory! Amen.”