My name is Choon Siong, and I am the youngest of eight siblings in my family. I am 59 years old this year. I would like to share how God has been so gracious and faithful to me throughout my life—even during the times when I did not fully know Him.
It was in 1954 that my eldest sister was born. As a baby, she fell seriously ill with a very high fever while still an infant. My parents brought her to the doctor, but the doctor said there was no way to save her. My parents were at a loss as to what to do. At that time, they had a close couple who were Christian friends. When they heard about the baby’s condition, they offered to pray for her together with their pastor. Miraculously, my sister recovered from her illness. My siblings told me that it was God who saved her life.
At that time, my parents were Buddhists by tradition. However, they were open-minded and did not restrict their children from following any religion. They believed that as long as a faith taught goodness, it was acceptable. Because of the miraculous healing, they allowed my eldest sister to become a Christian who was later baptised as a teenager.
Because of this, my siblings and I often attended worship services at a Seventh-day Adventist church in our hometown in Malaysia. We also joined Bible story classes regularly. I was still very young then and didn’t really understand what religion meant. I only knew that Jesus is God—and my heart naturally leaned more towards Christianity.
As I grew older, I stopped attending worship services. I can’t really remember why. During my teenage years, I followed my parents in worshipping other gods as well. I believed that all religions had good teachings. So I prayed to both Jesus and other gods. My belief was still more towards Christianity, but I never went deeper into understanding my faith.
Yet, even in those years, whenever I had needs, I would pray to God for help—and God answered many of my prayers. Looking back now, I can see that He was always there, watching over me and caring for me, even when I had strayed away from Him.
Between my twenties and fifties, I attended a few different churches, but only for short periods each time. It was not until 2021 that my faith truly began to grow. That year, my sister-in-law invited my family and me to attend Tree of Life Christian Church. Through the teachings, worship, and fellowship there, my faith in Christ became stronger and stronger. I started to pray and read the Bible regularly, and my understanding of God’s Word deepened.
Through the Word of God, I came to realise that I am a sinner who needs God’s forgiveness. I understood that no matter how good I try to be, I fall short of God’s holiness. It is only by the grace of God, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, that I can be forgiven and made right with Him. I confessed my sins and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
I also began to see how much God has loved me since I was young. Even though I had wandered away, He never gave up on me. He patiently watched over me, guided me, and waited for me to return to Him. Now I understand that all those times when. I called out to God and He answered my prayers — they were not coincidences. It was truly His hand upon my life, showing me His mercy and grace.
Today, I stand here with a thankful heart, acknowledging that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I thank God for His unfailing love and for bringing me back to Him.
All glory be to God.