I Am an Ezer: Lau Ying Kheng, Singapore

I love the beauty and power of the word ezer.  The author of this post, Lau Ying Kheng, is a good friend of mine.  She has interviewed several Asian women about God’s calling on their lives as ezers.  Over the next weeks I will post several of these stories.

“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [ezer] suitable for him’” (Gen 2:18, NASV).

““. . .the word ezer . . . is far from a weak word. It is used 21 times in Old Testament Scripture: twice in the  creation story, three times as a military term, and 16 times God refers to himself as our Ezer.” (Grace Women’s Ministry)

Hello, my name is Lau Ying Kheng. I am an ezer. Because I am an ezer, I went to East Asia recently to train 17 church leaders, 15 of whom were men.Five years ago, I wouldn’t have said, “Yes,” to that kind of assignment. Then again, five years ago, they might not have invited a woman to speak at their retreat.

So I gave four devotionals, eight communication workshops and shared my stories--not as a woman but as an ezer, a fellow worker in God’s vineyard.

To my surprise – but why should I be? – the pastors and church-planters, all overseeing literally thousands of church members, listened to me in rapt attention for five days.

At the end of the first day Luke, the most senior among them in position, came up to me and said, “Thank you, Teacher Lau. You made me cry.” He was in his sixties.On the final day Zhang, a 30-something who worked in a leprosy station, stood up and told the group, “I have learned from our teacher that I don’t need to scream and shout when I preach and still touch people’s lives."

So I came away from the trip with my heart full. Full knowing that just as women need the appreciation and care of men, men must be built by the nurture and love of women.

In the stories I will share, I have chosen to highlight a few good women and their work for the Lord. Some I know intimately (e.g., my daughter Julienne), and others I have admired from afar.

These women are doing extraordinary work for God not because they are smart or their life is easy. They are good at what they do because they are willing to trust God to overcome their fears, limitations, and setbacks.

And because they know they are ezers.

What about you?  How has God called you?

Lau Ying Kheng is from Singapore, where she lives with her husband, Roland Tan.  They both teach at the East Asia School of Theology.  Their daughther, Julienne Tan, will be married soon.