I am Thankful to the Lord

By Rev Tan Eng Boo

“Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!

Praise befits the upright” (Psalm 33:1)

Standing on the flat rooftop of Gloria Hotel on a cool morning in 2017, near Jaffa Gate, in the old city of Jerusalem, Israel, I took this glorious photo of a magnificent sunrise over the Mount of Olives. I remember thinking to myself, “thank God for another new day.”

Yes, beloved in the Lord, we should be thankful to the Lord for each new day.

“I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me” (Psalm 3:5).

To the Psalmist, praise is the natural and beautiful response to God’s goodness. It should be so with us, too.

“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High” (Psalm 92:1).

As the year 2025 comes to a close , I want to be thankful to the Lord.

“…. All things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Nothing happens without the foreknowledge of God. He is sovereign and He leads every providential step in my life and ministry. I am fully aware of this truth. This is the best part of my life.

For me, 2025 has been a year of blessings, despite some setbacks in my life.

Firstly, I thank God for the grace to serve Him and to be a part of His work in Grace church and farther out in Batam and Medan, Indonesia. I had the wonderful opportunity to preach to over 1,500 worshippers in a Medan traditional church in April. Sis Roska did an amazing job of arranging this preaching session. I noticed that almost 80% of the third or fourth generation Christians and are nominal in their faith. It was a privilege for me to share and reinforce the gospel message with these people again.

This is a good reminder for seniors to consider how you may be a soul-winner for Jesus. Look out for opportunities to do so. We are never too old to do it.

Secondly, I thank God for good fellowship gatherings with my old Galilean friends who meet every Wednesday for lunch. There is also a “retired” pastor’s fellowship group. This is a gathering of Bible-Presbyterian pastors who studied in the Far Eastern Bible College at one point in time. We meet bi-monthly. How wonderful it is to be able to encourage one another in the Lord. Proverbs 17:17 says,

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

I am reminded by Paul:

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).

When seniors meet, we should do as the apostle Paul exhorted. Look for ways to encourage one another. Remember Philippians 2:3-4.

Thirdly, I thank God for making me a grandparent. My wife and I have the joy of spending time with our two granddaughters, Shiloh and Gracia, regularly. They are growing up fast. This is a good time to be with them. We have so much joy and fun being with them, but it is tiring too. We pray that both girls will grow up to know the Lord personally and serve Him all the days of their lives.

Our grandchildren look at our example. What a wonderful opportunity to show them how to be godly Christians.

Fourthly, I thank God for allowing me to be a part of Grace church for almost 50 years. I am happy that I can still preach in church, help in the Adult Fellowship, and teach in my Bible class. It is also good to be able to minister to seniors in church. Someone reminded me that there is “no retirement” in the ministry. Yes, I know that. But I must be realistic that when age catches up, I can only do so much. I used to preach three Sundays a month. On some Sundays, I even preached three to four times, shuttling between our church and our daughter churches. Thank God for grace to do His work.

Today, there is a new generation of believers in church. The Millennials (Born 1981 – 1996), Generation Z (Born 1997 – 2012), and the Generation Alpha (Born 2013 – Present). They would need a younger man to pastor them.

Seniors must always remember how to be a blessing to the younger generation.

Fifthly, I thank God for my health. Thank God for His sustaining grace each day. I have had Mitral Valve Prolapse for a while now. I go for a heart echo procedure every six to nine months at the National Heart Centre. Thank God for a very experienced heart specialist who is monitoring my results.

This year, I also found out that I had cirrhosis of the liver. I went through some tests and thank God. it is not cancerous. However, I will have to manage my lifestyle strictly. My weight must be reduced. Eating habits must change etc. Hence, you can see I have lost some weight recently. My birding hobby enables me to get some exercise, and that helps. I am also happy to be with the church fellowship walk group, organized by Philip Wong.

Brethren, I share with you my health issues so that you can pray for me.

Psalm 3:5 is real to me. I hope it is for you, too. James reminds us:

“…. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14)

I must trust in the certainty of God and His word amid the uncertainties of life. Elisabeth Elliott said: “If it were not for uncertainties, we would have no need to walk by faith”

Seniors must remember that life can expire any time. We do what we can for the Lord when we have the health and strength to do so.

This is my prayer as I age:

“O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come” (Psalm 71:17, 18)