A whole new dimension to praising God

In the midst of all that studying, I figured I’d better jot this down before I forget.

This is the testimony of a man I do not know.

At a pastors’ conference not too long ago, a Chinaman was asked to share his testimony. After giving some thought, he stood up and began.

“I was in China at a time when Christians were under fierce persecution. One day, as we were praising God in our church, our church got raided. All of us were sent to prison.

I was there for 18 long years. It was not a pleasant place. What made matters worse for me, was that the prison guard I was under hated Christians to the core. So when he saw me, he gave me the worst job on hand – emptying the faeces of all the prisoners in the jail. We all know that in the Chinese culture, this is the most despised upon job ever.

Every morning, I had to dig a huge pit in the ground – large enough to contain all the waste of everyone in the jail. Everyone, from every cell, and even the prison guards. I had to go from cell to cell, collecting the dung from every cell, and emptying it into the pit. In those days, there was no proper potty. Everything was done in a primitive hole-in-the-ground style. It was, needless to say, a filthy low-down job.

No no, he was not done with me yet. We are a thrifty people, we Chinese. What do you suppose all that dung could be used for? One man’s waste could be another man’s treasure. That huge pit was dug for a purpose. Yes, fertilizer.

Every morning of those 18 long years, I had to mix the dung with the soil I had dug out from the pit to make fertilizer. Do you suppose it was that easy, standing and mixing it? No, all the dung from the entire prison – I had to go into the pit to mix it! I was waist deep in faecal matter half my life there.

Why did God allow such a thing to happen to me, a man who loved and served Him in face of persecution? I was perplexed, bitter and angry. I could not understand. It was like living hell.

Then one morning, God opened my eyes to see the blessings of the situation I was in.

Because the pit was so huge and smelly, no one dared to go near it, not even the prison guards. I was the only one in it – and that allowed me to be able to sing praises to God loudly, without fear of persecution.

Because I was so filthy and smelly, no one wanted to come anywhere near me, and I was given an entire cell to myself in which I could do whatever I liked – I was free to read God’s word.”

At this point in time, he stopped, overcome by tears. A grown man, standing in front of an audience of plenty, sobbing uncontrollably like a new-born babe. Embarrassed, he turned his back to the audience and tried to compose himself. His massive shoulders shook up and down as he wept.

Finally, when he had regained his composure, he turned back to face the crowd.

“Every morning, for those 18 long years, I lifted my voice and sang as I was mixing the dung in the pit”

At this point, he lifted his shaky voice and sang

“Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee. How great Thou art, How great Thou art.”

The audience stood up. Many were weeping as they joined him in song. They wept, not because they pitied his circumstance, not because he had spent 18 years in agony for Christ. They wept, because God had seen this man through his troubles, and has blessed him – he is now a prominent Christian leader. They wept, because God is truly great and faithful.

This was what the pastor shared with us today. Indeed, how easy it is to praise God amidst blessed peaceful times.

But when times of testing come, I hope to be found tested and true.

(There are loads to update on God’s blessings in my life – perhaps another time. Or when I’m in Singapore. Mustn’t forget!)

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