Dear All, my name is Tan Kang Fun but I am better known as KF Tan in the market place. I am currently the CEO of a health trust company in Singapore. I started my career as an auditor with one of the Big 4 firms before I joined a chemical company back in 1990. In year 2000, I moved to a high-performance material manufacturing plant where I was the Managing Director. Before my present position, I was with healthcare companies where I had different roles at different point in time as the CPO, CFO and COO.

Welcome back to this series on God’s Unfailing Love. In the previous 2 parts, we have touched on God’s unfailing love in times of danger/trial, mercy and justice. Today, we will touch on physical & spiritual distress and comfort.

4) In His Unfailing Love, He Saves us from Physical & Spiritual Distress

Psalm 130:7 says “O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for which the LORD is unfailing love (there is mercy) and with him is full redemption.”

God’s people call to Him from the depths of distress because we know Him as the loving Redeemer who will satisfy our hopes. God saves us not only from physical distress but also from the spiritual distress caused by sin. God acts to save us so we will make His name – His reputation – known to others. But too often, we forget our Saviour. Trusting in God’s never-failing love, we seek to learn and obey His law and His guideline for life. The all-powerful God delights in us, His people, and extends His faithful love to us. It is important to note that as Christians, we must be different from the world. We must learn to draw on God’s strength in times of distress to baffle the world. We want people in our workplace to ask why Christians are able to have peace of mind when they are in trouble. We need to have a testimony that  our Almighty God’s name will be glorified.

About 15 years or so ago, you might have heard or read in newspapers, that a big travel agent company went bankrupt with debts amounting to almost $30 million. (This was primarily due to investment in properties). The owner of the company is a Christian and he lived in a big bungalow in the East Coast with several expensive cars. Due to the business failure, he has to move into a  public housing flat. He was interviewed by The Straits Times and was asked how is he adapting to the new lifestyle? His answer was because of God’s mercy he could carry on living though he was under a lot of physical distress. He believes that God will provide for his family needs and that the Almighty God will never leave him nor forsake him. It was from this experience that he found out who are his true friends. Again, he gave glory to God for giving him the strength to go through this experience.

So regardless of the nature or the cause of our adversities, God goes through them with us. He says in Isaiah 41:10 “I will strengthen you; Yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” It is often in the very midst of our adversities that we experience the most delightful manifestations of God’s love. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:5 “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation (comfort) also abounds through Christ.” Christ identifies with us in our distress. We are in union with Christ and because of that, He shares our adversities. In whatever way we view our adversities, we find God’s grace is sufficient. His love is adequate. Nothing can separate us from His love. In the words of Paul, “Nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39). So remember, Jesus is not a crutch for the weak or fallen. He is the source of new spiritual life! When we are broken, He can make us new and whole. What is in your heart that you need to talk with God about? Bring Him your brokenness and ask Him to make you whole.

God’s unfailing love for us is an objective fact affirmed over and over in the Scriptures. It is true whether we believe it or not. Our doubts do not destroy God’s love, nor does our faith create it. It originates in the very nature of God, who is love, and it flows to us through our union with His beloved Son. But the experience of that love and the comfort it is intended to bring is dependent upon our believing the truth about God’s love as it is revealed to us in the Scriptures. So, when you are in distress, doubts about God’s love if allowed to harbor in our hearts, will surely deprive us of the comfort of His love. With God’s help, we can come to the place, even in the midst of our adversities, where we will be able to say, “I trust in Your unfailing love”, just like David said in Psalm 13:5.

The days in which we live can feel as turbulent as the high seas. Like sailing ships of old, we need stability to help us navigate our way through the storms of life. David faced danger as well, and he celebrated the character of God for providing him with stability after he had endured a desperate time. He declared, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit; out of the mud and miry clay, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” (Psalm 40:2)

In times of difficulty, we too can look to our powerful God for the stability only He brings. His faithful care inspires us to say with David, “Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us” (Psalm 40:5). What a comfort to hear this from the word of God.

I am already into my twelfth year of surviving lung cancer. I just want to thank God for how he has blessed me all these years since I was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. I was at the prime of my career when I was diagnosed with cancer. I didn’t stick my head into the miry clay and to wallow over my condition but rather I was looking unto God for guidance. This deadly disease did not stop me from working. In fact, God’s providence has been good where I could have a second career with a much slower pace with time to serve Him. Thanks be to God our Heavenly Father for His love and mercy upon me during my period of physical distress. 

5). God’s Unfailing Love Is Our Comfort

Psalm 119:76 says “May your unfailing love (merciful kindness) be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant.”

Even in affliction and persecution, we can affirm God’s faithfulness to His purposes, His promises and His precepts. His faithfulness means His Word is faithful and trustworthy. Until today, I have not questioned God why He has allowed the trial of going through cancer in my life. However, I did tell God that I do not know why I have this trial but I am comforted by His word that He allowed it to happen for a greater purpose. And I also acknowledge that He will provide the light to my path as I take the journey with Him upholding me with His righteous right hand.

Psalm 119:50 provided me a source of strength as it says “This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life.” This verse is so powerful to uplift one in trial where through God’s word one can find comfort during adversity. The comfort I can draw from God’s word is that it gives me hope when I depend on Him for my affliction. I know He is in control and He has allowed it to happen for a purpose.

Since God is sovereign, it will be foolish of me if I don’t totally depend on Him in my adversity. To put it simply, if someone on his death bed needed an organ transplant and at the eleventh hour the transplant took place and was successful, that person has been given a new lease of life. Likewise, the power of Psalm 119:50 is that you can find comfort in your affliction through God’s word where it can give you hope and life, just like the man who got his transplant done successfully!

God allows trial in our lives but He will also provide us the path that we can take during the trial. This is of great comfort as we are not alone when we are on the trial journey. Job 23:10 says “But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold”. And the ultimate prize to the trial is that we will come out to be a better Christian or to be more Christ-like.

The gods of the nations in biblical times were fickle, undependable, changeable and moody. In sharp contrast, the biblical writers picture God’s faithfulness to His promises and to His people. God has given His people spiritual gifts they need to endure faithfully to the end. We can count on God to continue to supply our needs, to comfort us and to bring the final victory He promised.

Now, I shall end Part 3 of the series on God’s Unfailing Love. Thank you for listening ……………. Part 4 to be continued.