Bianhua

“My girl, our family being able to live near the ground floor is by God’s sovereignty and arrangements. With the way things are in society in China now, how do people get things done without giving gifts or making connections? As for your dad and me, us old, feeble folk, we wanted to live on the second floor but didn’t dare to hope for it. But if God prepares it for us then no one can stop it from happening! From now on, we have to rely on God and look to God more,” said Zhen’ai to her daughter, filled with faith.

“Mom, I’ve also learned many lessons from your experience. Both big matters and small are arranged by God, and if I encounter anything like this again, I’ll undergo it with faith. Ah, by the way, what is the building and unit number of your new apartment, mom?” Zhen’ai’s daughter smiled happily.

“Building Two, Unit Two, East Gate,” said Zhen’ai cheerfully.

Zhen’ai’s daughter’s eyes opened wide and she said anxiously, “Mom, are you sure? We will be living opposite each other. Ours is at West Gate. Oh no, what can we do? You know that my mother-in-law’s family really hate people who believe in God, because they listen to the rumors spread by the CCP. With us living opposite each other, what if they discover that you’re hosting brothers and sisters, and brothers and sisters end up being followed and reported? This is so dangerous!” Zhen’ai’s daughter was all too aware of the conduct of her in-laws and her husband, and worry was written all over her face.

When Zhen’ai heard her daughter say this, her worries suddenly sprang up again. Like in a movie, scenes of her daughter being judged, disturbed and obstructed by her in-laws for being a believer in God flashed across Zhen’ai’s mind. Her daughter’s husband would even take all measures to restrain her and stop her whenever she wanted to visit Zhen’ai. If they saw brothers and sisters going to Zhen’ai’s apartment, then the consequences would be unthinkable.

Zhen’ai’s faith had been so strong and she had wanted to perform her duty well, but faced with cruel reality, her faith gradually diminished, and then she was back worrying about living in a new apartment but not being able to perform her duty. Her heart felt even more tormented.

“Mom, don’t worry. When apartments were being allocated, didn’t we see God’s deeds? This is also in God’s hands. Let’s pray together, and I believe God will open a way for us,” said her daughter, comfortingly.

Zhen’ai nodded slightly.

Afterward, she and her daughter often brought this matter before God and prayed. One morning, as they were engaged in spiritual devotions, Zhen’ai read these words of God: “What does faith refer to? Faith is the genuine belief and the sincere heart that humans should possess when they cannot see or touch something, when God’s work is not in line with human notions, when it is beyond human reach. This is the faith that I speak of” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement).

God’s words made Zhen’ai ashamed of herself. She thought of when she had seen God’s kindness and blessing and of how she had then been filled with faith and been willing to perform her duty to repay God’s love; but when this new situation befell her and she believed that she couldn’t perform hosting duties, her faith and the resolution she’d made before God had immediately vanished without a trace. She now understood that only by having true faith in God could she witness God’s deeds. With her now relying on her arrogant nature to delimit God’s work, how could she possibly see God’s almightiness and sovereignty? And how could she fulfill her duty well and satisfy God? After understanding God’s will, Zhen’ai’s faith to undergo the situation God had arranged for her returned.

Zhen’ai and her daughter continued to pray to God about the new apartment every day.

As soon as Zhen’ai’s daughter came through the door, she spoke excitedly to her mother. “Mom, God has opened a way for us. You don’t need to worry about not being able to perform hosting duties anymore. Our two families won’t be living near each other anymore.”

“What’s happened? Tell me quickly,” asked Zhen’ai anxiously.

Zhen’ai’s daughter took her hand as they sat on the sofa.

“As you know, mom, it’s a real pain to move all those decoration tools in and out of the second floor, but it just so happens that one of my father-in-law’s brother is living on the first floor of another building, and we’ve managed to swap apartments with him.”

“Oh, thank God! God’s orchestrations and arrangements really are so wonderful, I never imagined such a thing could happen!” Tears welled up in Zhen’ai’s eyes.

“This uncle is almost 80 and his eyes aren’t so good. My auntie has suffered from polio since she was little, and she has disabilities with her hands and feet. They used their backdoor connections to get an apartment on the first floor, and you would think that they wouldn’t possibly let us have an apartment on the first floor that’s so easy to access. But something inconceivable has happened to us, and if it weren’t for God’s orchestrations and arrangements, who could have achieved it?” said her daughter in excitement.

As she listened to her daughter, Zhen’ai kept nodding her head, and she couldn’t help but call to mind these words of God: “The heart and spirit of man are held in the hand of God, and all the life of man is beheld in the eyes of God. Regardless of whether or not you believe this, any and all things, living or dead, will shift, change, renew, and disappear according to God’s thoughts. This is how God rules over all things” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God Is the Source of Man’s Life).

“God’s words are the truth! The heart and spirit of man are indeed held in God’s hands, and they change as God’s thoughts! Though something may look impossible to man, God can achieve it with just one thought. If I hadn’t practically experienced and undergone these situations God arranged, then I wouldn’t have been able to be so certain of the wondrousness of God’s deeds. God’s authority and power are so real, there is nothing He cannot do!” Zhen’ai said, filled with emotion.

…………

Late at night, when all else was quiet, Zhen’ai sat alone under the warm moonlight with a joyful look on her face that she couldn’t hide.

As she recalled her experiences during that period of time, these words of God came to her mind: “They try to be the kind of people who are submissive to God’s authority and satisfy God’s desire. Such people live in light, live in the midst of God’s blessings” (The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique I).

Zhen’ai now understands that, as long as one accepts and submits to all the situations God orchestrates at all times and does not lose one’s faith in God, then one can witness God’s deeds and will come to appreciate that all things are under the sovereignty of God’s authority.

All the glory be to Almighty God!