Dr. Tan Tek Seng

DAILY REFLECTION

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬ ‭

The same God who calls us to His eternal glory in Christ is the One who transforms temporary pain into eternal purpose.

Ben, a Malaysian electrical engineer working in the USA, never imagined that a routine fever would become the gateway to a divine encounter. Within days, he slipped into a ten-day coma. When he awoke, the battle had only begun. A sudden brain bleed demanded emergency surgery - the first of many over the next eighteen months. Doctors warned his parents that he might never recover, possibly remaining in a vegetative state. But God had a different plan.

Ben’s body endured wave after wave of affliction: life-threatening infections, heart valve replacement, and spinal surgery. Each crisis stretched him to the edge. Yet in the valley of suffering, God’s grace broke through. Medical breakthroughs arrived just in time. His employer stood by him. And in moments when strength failed, God poured out unmerited favour - empowering Ben to endure, to hope, and to recover.

Today, Ben stands restored. Not just physically, but spiritually - renewed in strength, anchored in faith, and awakened to a deeper intimacy with God. His story is not merely one of survival, but of divine restoration. It is a living testimony that the God who allows trials also redeems them, turning ashes into beauty and affliction into anointing.

1 Peter 5:10 unveils the miracle-working power of God, who transforms suffering into strength and despair into glory. It reminds us that after we have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace - who has called us to His eternal glory in Christ - will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us.

“All our infirmities are just opportunities for God to display his gracious work in us."