GOD’S
PLANS FOR HIS CHILDREN
Pastor Zacchaeus Tran
I was born in 1965 into
a family of 12 children and I was the 8th child. In my hometown of Ky
Phu Commune, my parents were the richest people in this community. We lacked
nothing and there were servants to do everything for us but my parents did not
know God.
When I was 9 months
old I became seriously ill. My body was very skinny; my belly was swollen as I
had difficulty moving my bowels; my whole body was filled with scabies... My
parents took me to the biggest hospital in Da Nang with the hope that doctors would
heal me, but as days passed my condition became worse and my parents were told
to take me home. The doctors had done all they could but there was no hope. They
told my parents that it would be better for me to die in my home surrounded by
my family.
My mother was
heartbroken to see my ravaged body, lifeless and in pain. She cried out daily,
“My God! Please save my son! Please save my son!” She did not know which God
she was crying out to but believed there was a God out there who could help her
son.
That night, my mother
had a dream that she was attending service in church. After the service was over,
she saw the deacon of the church by the name of Quang walk up to the podium and
introduce a new pastor, Pastor Le Van Tu, who would be taking over the
leadership of the church. My mother woke up wondering why she was dreaming of a
Christian church when she did not believe in Christianity. Believing it to be a
sign she took me to church on Sunday and was shocked to recognize that it was
the same church as in her dream. She had never been inside before so how could
this be! She was so amazed and excitedly she took me to the pastor to relate
her dream to him. The pastor said: “This is the will of God for you to know
that He can heal your son. I cannot do any miracles, only God can.” Then the
pastor laid his hands on me and prayed for healing as well as for my parents to
know the Lord.
After the pastor
prayed for me, I went home and the next day I began to feel healing taking
place in my body. The scabies gradually dried up; I started having regular
bowel movements and this helped make my belly flat. I no longer cried much and
could sleep well. One month later, I was completely healed and I could play like
other children.
After God healed me, my parents led all my
siblings to church to receive Jesus Christ and made a commitment to worship God
alone, and then my mother requested that I be dedicated to the Lord. I lived a
happy Christian life filled with joy and peace but there were difficult days
ahead with the coming of the Vietnam War in 1973. As the war continued, we had
to move to a different province where we found a church which my family and I
attended regularly.
However, all this
changed in 1975 when the communists won the war and united North and South
Vietnam. Christians were told that they were not allowed to worship God and soon
the persecution of Christians became violent. Many believers gave up their
faith and sadly so did my parents. Going to church, praying to God or reading
the bible were all forbidden;
eventually Christ faded from our lives.
As time passed, and
growing up in a communist culture, Jesus Christ was replaced by Marxist
political ideology and I no longer trusted in God and all His works. We were taught
that “only man is lord of the universe, anything that took place in the
universe is the effort of man not God".
As we drew away from
God and relied on ourselves and our own efforts, our lives changed drastically
for the worse. Our business failed, our culture and language changed and there
was an emptiness inside me that I filled with drinking and gambling. In 1990, desperate
and broke, I moved to another town where I lived with a friend who taught me lacquer
art.
Living away from home,
I was homesick, especially when Christmas came and I heard Christmas songs like
"Holy Night”; I remembered my childhood and the times when I used to
worship God. I realized how much I missed God! How happy I was then. But I felt
ashamed to face God now having abandoned Him a long time ago. I was sure He,
too, would reject me now.
On the night of December
23th, 1993, I had a dream that I was walking in the church in my old hometown. As
I stood there admiring the decorations, I suddenly heard voices echoing in the church,
saying, “Destroy this temple and rebuild.” This statement was repeated three times.
I looked around but could see no one. I asked myself, "Why must such a
beautiful church be destroyed?”
The next morning, I walked
into a church and asked the pastor about my dream. After listening carefully to
my dream, the pastor told me that it was the voice of God. He said, “God wants
you to destroy your sinful life and rebuild your Christian life.” I suddenly
found myself trembling before God. The pastor cried and prayed for me. I knew God had forgiven me and from that day
on, I went to church and rededicated my life to Him.
In 1995 I married an unbeliever.
My wife was an ancestor worshiper who would burn incense to worship her
ancestors and other gods. I was very sad and prayed to God every night that God
would save my wife and her family. My mother-in-law was against Christianity
and would always refuse to eat anything I had bought. I was patient and loving towards
her, and one day, she asked me to take her to my church so she could see who my
God is.
I was overjoyed and
brought her to church and on that Sunday she received the Lord. Later on my brother-in-law
also received Jesus Christ. Eventually my wife and her whole family gave their
lives to Christ. In 1996 after receiving bible training, I gave my life into
the service of God as a pastor.
In summary, God knew
me when I was a child and He knew the plan He had for my life. Even though I
abandoned Him, He never abandoned me. Throughout my life I know now that God
never once gave up on me but was waiting patiently for me to return to Him.
Like the prodigal son, praise God, I did. I thank the Lord for His mercy and
grace!
I want to thank Asian
Outreach for their financial support that has enabled me to reach out to so
many who are hungering after God.
Matthew 5:6
"Blessed are
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."