在50年前，要一個多疑的老人家來信主是不可能的，我的祖父母都是虔誠的道教徒，虔誠到每天早上都要燒香，而且要等香燒完了，全家人才能吃早餐，即使孩子們吵著肚子餓也不行。當時的年代，長輩的話是有權威的，大家都要遵守；換成現代的孩子，大人講一句，小孩可能回十句。若非神的揀選，他們是不可能信主的。到底是哪一句話，讓他信主呢？「你要認識 神，就得平安，福氣也必臨到你。」(伯廿二21)
Fifty years ago, it was very hard to convince overly suspicious elderly people to believe in the Lord Jesus. My grandparents were no different and in fact it was a harder since they were both devout Taoists. They were so devout that they offered incense every morning and waited until the incense finished burning before they allowed the family to have breakfast. Even if the children were very hungry, they were not allowed to eat any earlier. During that era, the words of the elders were absolute and could not be questioned. Nowadays, it is quite different. When adults rebuke their children, many children will talk back without hesitation.
With an understanding of the background of the times, we can say with certainty that if it were not for the election of God, my grandparents would never have believed in the Lord. What led them to believe in the Lord Jesus? It was the use of a particular verse:“Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.” (Job 22:21) This verse tells us that if we acquaint ourselves with God i.e. we come to know God, then we shall receive peace, and blessings will come upon us.
當時有一位傳道，他騎著腳踏車，到離市區十幾公里的鄉村傳福音，當時我祖母正坐在屋外乘涼，傳道一看到她，便對她說：「今天神的恩典，要到你家了。」我祖母一聽「神的恩典到來」當然很興奮，就站起來說：「我們家這麼窮，這麼痛苦，神的恩典怎麼會到我家？」傳道人就走到我祖母的面前說：「你要認識 神，就得平安，福氣也必臨到你。」感謝主，就是這句話，你要認識神，這是人生很重要的問題。
One day, a preacher travelled on his bicycle to the countryside, more than ten kilometers away from the city center, to preach the gospel. At that time, my grandmother was sitting in the shade outside of her house. As soon as the preacher saw her, he said to her, “Today, the blessings of God shall come upon you and your family.” My grandmother got excited when she heard him proclaim that the blessings of God would come upon her family. She stood up and asked, “We are so poor and have hit upon such hard times, how could the blessings of God possibly come upon our family?” The preacher replied in Chinese, using the words from Job 22:21, “你要認識神, 就得平安；福氣也必臨到你”Thank the Lord! After simply hearing this Bible verse, my grandmother believed in the Lord Jesus. Acquainting ourselves with God should be the highest priority in life.
今日我們什麼都知道，但就是不認識神，我們要認識神，平安就會臨到。因為平安和福氣，是人生最基本的需求，沒有平安要如何生活？每個人都想得到福氣，有福氣才能享受生活的福氣。福氣，不是高要求，這是人基本要有的，感謝主，就是這句話，讓我們家相信了主。後來，我祖母讓家裡成為聚會場所，信徒越來越多，她就把家裡奉獻做祈禱所。
Today, we think we know everything we need to know, but actually, when we do not know God, we know nothing at all. On the other hand, if we acquaint ourselves with God, peace will come into our lives. God will bless us with everything we need in life. How can we afford to live without peace and blessings in life? Everyone desires to receive blessings because it is only with blessings that we can enjoy life. It was for this reason that my entire family came to believe in Christ.
After receiving the gospel of salvation, my grandmother was willing to offer her house as a place of worship. When the number of members continued to grow, she eventually dedicated her home as a prayer house. Thank God!
