‘Does God exist?’ ‘Is there more to life than what is here and now?’ I struggled with these questions like everyone else.
I was brought up in Malaysia, a mainly Muslim country with a significant Buddhist population, followed by Hinduism and Christianity. However, my own family were not religious and as a child I gave little thought to whether God existed.
Some family friends were Christians and they introduced me to church camps. My parents were happy for me to go, perhaps secretly hoping they might turn me into an ‘angel’ at home!
It was at one of these camps that I began to feel a crushing sense of guilt that I could not resolve. I knew that God was making me aware of my sinful nature and that the only way I could find peace and forgiveness was through trusting completely in Jesus Christ.
I pleaded for him to deliver me from my sins and committed my life into his hands. Even as a boy of 10, I had a sense of the burden of my sin being lifted and found an inner peace.
I was not easy being a young Christian and I found many things in the Bible difficult to understand. But I never doubted that God loved me and was with me.
Science and the Bible
I was particularly interested in science and this led me to eventually pursue a Bachelor of Engineering degree in electronic, electrical and computer engineering. While studying (and in my research work since) I have been constantly challenged by fellow scientists and others who ask how I can believe the Bible – and ‘incredible’ stories like Jesus rising from the dead.
But, as a scientist, I have never had cause to doubt the truth of the Bible or my Christian faith, because for every question posed the Bible has the answer. Very often people refuse to believe the Bible because it teaches things they don’t want to hear.
With Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we can live our lives without fear and doubts. Recently, I became unemployed and spent several months looking for work. It was a very low time for me but I knew that God was with me through it. I was constantly reassured through promises in the Bible that God was in control.
Salvation
I am now 29 years old and married. Both my wife and I find that God speaks to us daily through the Bible. We are always learning more about him and how he wants us to live.
Ultimately, the Bible tells us about salvation. I am convinced that until we have trusted in Jesus Christ we can never truly be right with God. This challenge is summed up in a verse from the Bible: ‘Jesus said: I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6).
