‘Captured tightly’ by God in China

‘I may skip eating a meal, but I will not skip reading the Bible!’ Zheng Yuzhen said when she received a large-print Bible from her church with the support of Bible Society.

‘I don’t have to strain my eyes reading the Bible now,’ said the 78-year-old in Jilin province, China.

Zheng was born into a poor family and her father died when she was two. To escape poverty, she moved far away. But life was still hard. Her husband had epilepsy and she ended up toiling in a brick factory. ‘After giving birth to my child, we had even fewer meals. I was feeling down every day,’ Zheng said.

She hit rock bottom and even contemplated leaving her husband. But then a neighbour shared the gospel with her. In church, she didn’t fully understand the sermon, but the Holy Spirit worked in her heart. Her mind cleared and she felt her burdens lift. She began cycling for more than 40 minutes from home to attend both morning and evening services. ‘My heart had been captured tightly by God,’ Zheng said.

‘Before knowing God, I was never satisfied. I wanted someone who could comfort me and earn money. I didn’t look up to my husband and often scolded him.’

But Zheng learned from the Bible that it was important to respect one’s husband. ‘Gradually, I discovered that my husband was actually very concerned about our family. He lived his life within his means, didn’t gamble and remained faithful to me. I started to pray for him, asking God to heal his illness. I took care of him wholeheartedly, read the Bible to him and, amazingly, his epilepsy was cured!’

When her husband saw the changes in Zheng, he too became a believer! 

‘Whenever I hear my husband praying, “Lord, your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, please teach me to understand your will”, my heart leaps with joy,’ Zheng shared.

Zheng uses her new large-print Bible, which her church was able to provide thanks to the kind giving of Bible Society supporters, when she leads a daily worship group. ‘I will read the Scriptures many times beforehand and ask my husband when I come across difficult words that I do not know. And I’ll write words with similar sounds next to the new words to help me remember. Thank you Bible Society supporters for making all of this possible!’

This story first appeared in our prayer letter Bible a Month. If you would like to help people like Zheng by providing churches in China with Scripture resources then please join Bible a Month. For a regular monthly donation of just £10, or more if you like, you’ll be supporting crucial Bible work in China and elsewhere. You’ll also receive the Bible a Month prayer letter four times a year telling you exactly the impact your generosity is having.

What is Bible a Month?

This content was adapted from an original story published by United Bible Societies China Partnership.