He Heard My Cry

By Linying Liu, London, UK

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord;
    He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
    out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock
    and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord.

These verses really describe my life. 

Twenty years ago, I was in a very abusive marriage. I was in a total mess. As a result of this relationship, I had no confidence in myself at all. I had lost all my friends and I was doing terribly at my work as a language teacher. I could feel my colleagues looking down on me because I just wasn’t capable at that time of doing my work well.

I remember one day I really felt hopeless. I was feeling really stuck, seeing no light, no hope, and having no idea where to turn. At that time, I didn’t have a relationship with God. When I became involved with my ex-husband, he basically stopped me from studying the Bible and having any connection with people in church. So I stopped having a relationship with God. I basically wandered away from Him. I remember I was feeling so hopeless that day, I went to the park for a walk, and I ended up just hugging a tree and crying.

God must have heard my cry, because afterwards things turned around.

Not straightaway, but gradually, I was able to get help and get out of that abusive relationship. We got divorced; I was left a single mother with a two-year-old child to raise and support on my own. I started going back to church again and rebuilding my relationship with God. God gave me confidence, inspiration in my work, and even great success at work. I went from being one of the worst teachers to now the lead teacher of the language teaching team. God has also allowed me to win prizes and awards for the school in my subject. God gave me the inspiration to write a dramatic play for a national competition in the Mandarin language, which won the National Prize. This was a great honour for me. It changed the way people look at me and gave me confidence in my work as well.

And from there it’s been blessing after blessing. Now I’m a Mandarin consultant, training a lot of other teachers. God has enabled me to do my work so well that now I can have financial security for myself and my son; I have learned to rely on God rather than on any man to provide for us. Looking back at who I was a few years ago, most people probably couldn’t believe I am where I am today. It’s all God’s work and God’s blessing.

“May all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you; 
may those who love your salvation
    always say,
    “The Lord be exalted!”

Psalm 40:16

Author Bio:

Linying Liu works in education. She was a language teacher, then Head of her department, now a language consultant, training teachers and helping schools to improve teaching in the subject of Modern Foreign Language. Her specialty is Mandarin. Her son is 21 years old now, studying Chemistry at the University of Bath, England. “He is another blessing from God,” says Lin.