Contributed by Pr Gan Jin Leong • Jul 2, 2023
On a Monday morning on the ninth of May, 2022, when I was out on my Vespa to get some breakfast, I met with a road accident. Until today I do not have any memory of the incident. The only evidence I have is a photograph taken of me after I was carried to the side of the two-lane Bukit Jalil highway where the accident occurred.
As I look back, I thank the Lord who was with me even before the incident. A Cantonese-speaking Good Samaritan stopped to help me. Furthermore, he used my mobile phone to randomly call my contacts and eventually reached Tan Eng Choong, a friend from church who picked up the call. To this day, we still do not know the identity of this kind man.
There was a frantic scramble to locate which hospital I had been sent to. We later found out that this kind person had contacted the Serdang Hospital for an ambulance and handed my mobile phone to them.
In the meantime, Jennice, my wife had contacted the ladies from her prayer group, our cell group and her discipleship group to rally for prayer.
Eventually Jennice got through to my mobile phone when a representative from the Serdang Hospital responded to her call and so she found out which hospital I was admitted to. When she arrived at the hospital, she was allowed to be with me in the Emergency Ward. During this time, she laid her hands on me and prayed for the healing of my trauma from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes. I believe that this played a crucial part to my subsequent rapid recovery – body, soul and spirit.
God’s grace was evident throughout my healing journey, as it has been to this day. I had sustained seven fractured ribs – one on my left and six on my right. Thank God there was no bleeding in the brain though the nerve behind my right ear was bruised and this resulted in my hearing loss. No surgery was required and I was prescribed pain killers and advised to do simple exercises the best I could. I was discharged after five days in the hospital. Two additional procedures were performed after a second consultation to remove 550 ml of blood fluid from the outside cavity of my right lung. Since then, we have found no further bleeding in my follow-up check-ups with my doctor.
“Let the bones heal naturally”, said the doctors. And so they did. All praise, glory, honour and thanksgiving to my Lord as I thank Him that all 7 fractured ribs fused together 4 months after my accident, which was remarkable and nothing short of a miracle. I am also deeply grateful for Jennice, my wife, who stood with me – she prayed, cared and nursed me to recovery.
A few months into my recovery, Jennice shared with me that she had been pleading with me not to ride my Vespa scooter over long distances other than around our housing area. Instead, in my “spirituality”, I had ignored her loving advice and told her to instead pray for my safety whenever I went out on the scooter and to trust in God’s protection. Subsequently in my time of solitude and silence, the Holy Spirit convicted me for sinning against the Lord for insisting on my way and ignoring Jennice’s caring and loving advice. Even though five years had passed, I still faced the consequence of my obstinacy. I asked the Lord for His forgiveness and from Jennice, too, for putting her through so much even before the accident occurred.
I am also grateful to the Lord for the many in and outside DUMC who lovingly offered their prayers for Jennice and me. “Lord, thank You for listening to and answering the prayers of Your precious and beloved daughters and sons dearly loved by You.”
Finally, God, who is the same yesterday, today and forevermore, continues to demonstrate His love, compassion, mercy and grace towards me yet again:
Isaiah 30:18 New Living Translation:
So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.
To God be all glory, honour, power wisdom, and thanksgiving which belongs to Him and Him alone!