I met my husband Eugene Tham through a blind date set up by my best friend and her husband in 2012. I was 33, and he was 36. I had prayed a prayer that a friend had prayed: "Send me the man who will love You more than he loves me, because only then can I be sure that he will truly love me." Little did I know that God had so much more in store for me, and us as a couple; that I would receive so much more than I had asked for.
The transition from singlehood to couplehood was a big step for both of us, we had been living very independent lives for a long time before we met. God had been preparing us to meet, and when we did, He used Eugene as a pivotal instrument to carry out a transformational healing work in my body, soul and spirit. I had to go through this process to step into the liberty, joy and power that was essential for our walk with and for God as a married couple.
For years, I had been dealing with grief over the losses in my life: the premature deaths of loved ones, broken relationships and a traumatic event from childhood. I thought I had them all sorted out, but I did not realize that the spiritual pain of grief still gripped me at my core, and I had needed a deliverance of the sorrow deep within me. In addition, I needed to release forgiveness over various people and myself.
It was during a teaching seminar by New Zealand Pastor David Peters and his wife Greta, that I received that deliverance and inner healing. Eugene had seen a vision of a sun that was meant for me, and I identified that as God’s glory. As confirmation, I also saw a vision of Jesus holding my hand and walking with me towards a huge sun in the horizon that I knew was His glory healing me. At the altar that night, I could feel such deep sorrow pouring out of my belly as I cried for what felt like hours. It was as if the years of sorrow just came out from my body through my crying, never to return again. It was such an awesome feeling.
Greta prophetically released Isaiah 61:3 over me. The verse goes “… and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour.” She ended that with saying that Jesus was holding my hand (same as my vision!) and that He was my husband. Indeed, that Jesus was my husband was such a calming revelation that I immediately stopped crying. I felt such great peace over me as I knew He would fulfill all my needs that an earthly man could not. This, also prepared me for marriage.
The next morning, I woke up at 6am automatically and felt led to read Isaiah 60. It was incredible to read the chapter as I realized that God was confirming the previous night’s experience again through my reading of verses 19-20: “The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.”
From that day, my spiritual eyes were opened. I felt the power and faith that came with acknowledging the Holy Spirit as guide, and I was ready for God to call and direct. Eugene was very happy, because finally I was ready to partner him in walking in the supernatural and fighting in spiritual warfare.
The Lord has shown us that He has called us as a married couple to live out what we have termed the “Isaiah 61 calling”. In short, it is what is described in verse 1: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners…” We have inscribed “Isaiah 61” on our wedding rings as a firm reminder for us.
One of the first few assignments came in the form of helping to save a friend from suicide. It was really amazing to see how both our lives were intertwined in such a way that God used our contacts and circumstances to save this broken man with His deep love. A word of knowledge from a teenage volunteer at my workplace for this man who was a total stranger to the former; a miracle prayer session by Eugene and his New Zealand-evangelist friend at the hospital for this man, and many other miracles. This man, transformed by God, is now actively spreading God’s love to other similarly broken men – former prisoners and drug addicts.
Eugene and I have never seen God’s calling as a separate entity from our secular jobs. In fact, there is no such thing as a secular life versus a God-called life. Every decision of ours needs to be committed to God. Each decision we make, from something as small as who we are meeting for dinner, to something as big as where we should live, is a God-encounter. For example, during our honeymoon in Gold Coast, we chanced upon an Aussie pastor (a stranger) whom we had coffee with and shared testimonies of encouragement and prayer. At work, we have prayed with our colleagues and experienced miracles of healing!
We are currently seeking the Lord in the steps He wishes us to take in fulfilling our destinies as individuals, as a couple and for the nation of Singapore. God has sent Reverend Dr John Tay, the Dean of the Faculty of Biblical Studies in the Bethany International University, to bless us with his books “Fulfilling Your God-given Destiny” and “God’s Destiny for Your Nation”. Our individual destinies are intricately intertwined with the destiny of the nations we are called too. And in these end times, recognizing this connection is all the more important in preparing the Church for the second coming of Jesus Christ.
I thank God that my transition to being a wife to Eugene has been a huge stepping stone to fulfilling my calling and destiny in Him. I had never expected this milestone, but it is one that is super exciting!
Dawn is a social worker. She and Eugene tied the knot on 30 March 2013.