Concrete Grace
By Yeo Li Juan
As PFS’ in house Media & Events Manager, Li Juan seeks to create compelling content and host impactful events for friends, supporters, donors and volunteers. Fueled by a good cup of black coffee, she counts youth empowerment as one of her top passions in life. When she’s unwinding, you can catch her listening to her favorite podcasts or planning imaginary trips across the globe.
Towards the end of 2025, I sat down with Jabez for an interview. His testimony is a stirring reminder that no one is beyond the reach of grace. Now, navigating the streets of Singapore as a private hire driver, Jabez is making a living with a renewed sense of purpose.
His story is one of many successful stories we hear at PFS.
THE BEGINNINGS
At 14 years old, Jabez was introduced to drugs, sparking a cycle of incarceration that would turn prison into a revolving door for 30 years.
Young and impressionable, he was first introduced to drugs by a dealer who assured him he would not get addicted. Later, when he needed more to satiate his cravings, he realized the dealer would no longer supply him with drugs. Stung by the rejection and what felt like a betrayal, he was fuelled by hatred and sought to outdo the dealer by becoming his competitor - undercutting prices and poaching his customers. While he may have won that tussle, his descent into the underworld ultimately cost him everything.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE GALLOWS
For dealing and possessing drugs, Jabez was arrested alongside four others and sentenced to his last & final stint behind bars. Three of his accomplices would eventually be hanged. Reality became harsh and harrowing as he waited for his verdict.
On the morning of his sentencing, fear consumed him. Alone in his cell at 5:00 AM, he fell to his knees. At that time, he was not a believer, but in his desperation, he cried out: “I don't care what God you are. If you can save me this time, I will believe in you.”
Suddenly, the cell flooded with an inexplicable, blinding light — far brighter than the ones the prison used in the corridors and cells. Jabez was confused, but he did not think too much about it. Shortly after that happened, he was escorted into a transport vehicle that would take him to court.
In the High Court, the atmosphere was grim. The judge appeared stern and unforgiving. He also warned the prosecutor that no appeals would be allowed. That made Jabez more nervous. Turning to him, the judge issued an ultimatum: “I will say this only once. Do you admit to the charges?”
Jabez froze, but it was not long before a tiny voice whispered in his ear: “Admit.” He looked around, puzzled—first at his lawyer, then the guards, then the empty space behind him. He was certain someone had spoken, but no one was there. Seeing his hesitation, the judge grew irate and raised his voice: “I won’t repeat myself!” In that moment of tension, Jabez heard the tiny voice again: “Admit.”
Despite being mortified by the potential consequences, he chose to pay heed to the voice. “I plead guilty,” he croaked. Almost immediately, the judge closed the file firmly and sentenced him to a consecutive term totaling 14 years. It was a heavy sentence, but odds against all odds, his life had been spared.
THE PROMISE KEPT
While serving his time at Tanah Merah Prison, Jabez began attending chapel services, initially just to socialize. After his life was spared from the gallows, everything reverted to status quo, and he had forgotten about the incident in the cell previously.
One Sunday, a visiting pastor from Taiwan was preaching. Locking eyes with Jabez, the pastor told him: “Jesus loves you”. At first, Jabez did not think too much about it because that was something many preachers often say, so he brushed it away casually. However, the pastor held on and proceeded to say something that stopped him cold. “Do you remember the prayer you made to God? He is the God you are looking for.”
No one witnessed that desperate prayer that Jabez whispered in the silence of his prison cell at 5 a.m.. Jabez sat in stunned silence, his mind racing to make sense of the impossible. “How could this pastor have known?”, leaving him flabbergasted.
The pastor looked at him with steady eyes and asked, “Do you believe He can change your life?” Despite his defiance, something shifted within Jabez. A conviction he couldn't explain took hold and he replied, “I believe that He is the true God.”
Right there, the pastor prayed over him, guiding Jabez through the sinner’s prayer. Seeing the dazed expression on his face, a friend with him asked if he truly understood what he was doing. Jabez looked at him and offered a firm assurance that he knew exactly what saying that prayer meant.
Following that encounter, the chapel services were no longer just a past-time but became a place that triggered a deeper spiritual awareness. He began to immerse himself in the Bible, hungering for a deeper spiritual connection.
“When I was younger, I served as a medium,” Jabez recalled. “I realized then that the gods I once worshipped couldn't save me. But this God saved my life.”
This realization ignited a pursuit of God. It wasn't just a change of habit; it was the birth of a profound spiritual transformation that would redefine the rest of his life.
THE MEDICAL MIRACLE
In 2014, nearing the end of his sentence, Jabez’s faith was tested by fire. After a prolonged period where he felt exhausted, he decided to go for a medical test. It was then that he learned that he had liver cirrhosis—the advanced scarring and hardening of the liver caused by chronic injury, such as hepatitis or alcohol abuse. During this time, he was transferred to Changi Medical Centre for further testing; the prognosis was bleak. Due to the severity of his condition, he was pronounced to be down with Stage 1 liver cancer.
Jabez was devastated and in disbelief. In prison, he was known for pursuing a healthy lifestyle; he slept well, ate nutritiously, and was ardent about exercising. “How could this happen to me? I just kept asking God why,” he shared. With no known family history of the illness, he knew this development was much associated with his prior lifestyle of drug abuse and heavy drinking.
During the time he was warded, Jabez had a non-Christian friend who surprisingly, wrote him a Christian song and sang it for him. The friend told him, “You must remember God.” It was through this song that reignited and strengthened Jabez’s faith in Christ.
Jabez was kept in isolation due to a low count of white blood cells. Once that increased, however, he was allowed to return to do light exercises in the yard but not required to work. When he returned for his second medical review, the attending doctor informed him that the outlook for his liver condition was poor. The medical team also discussed further procedures, and Jabez learned that because he was nearing his release, he would have to bear the full brunt of the medical costs himself.
When Jabez was discharged from Changi Medical Centre, he returned to prison and attended chapel that same Sunday. A group of volunteers from Salem Chapel, scheduled for prison ministry duties that week, had the opportunity to pray over him. It was a spirit-filled moment; as they prayed, Jabez teared up and pleaded: “God, give me a few years to show my parents I’ve changed. I want to be a filial son because they’ve never stopped visiting me.”
Unbeknownst to Jabez, a miracle was brewing.
Jabez was scheduled to go to Changi Medical Centre to receive his results in person, but prior to that, he was notified by his officer that his medical report was clear. Jabez grew confused; that was not what he had been told by the doctor during his previous visit. He continued to question the officer, who was adamant that his medical report was clear. Finally, after some back and forth, both decided it would be best for Jabez to speak to the doctor personally.
The next day, Jabez visited the doctor, who remarked, “In all my years of medical practice, I’ve never seen this happen before. Last week, the virus was active. Now, we can't find a single trace of it.” Jabez was in disbelief. The next words were more poignant as the doctor said, “You have to thank your God.” The short medical fiasco was over. Jabez was declared in the clear and would not need to consider any form of treatment.
“It was at that moment I realized that God had never left me. During my isolation, I felt like I didn’t hear from Him, but God never left me.”
NEW CHAPTER
When Jabez was released in December 2017, he was determined to live by faith and to trust God completely. He desired to get his heart and mind in order first and hence chose not to work for the first six months. During those months, he would jog 20 km to attend prayer meetings and other church activities at Salem Chapel on a regular basis. His prolonged unemployment was met with a lot of critique and judgment from some in the community. There were a handful who questioned his decision, yet Jabez remained steadfast. He knew this season was important; that these six months would ground him in God. Through it all, he had a supportive pastor who had been journeying with him and who knew him well. The pastor advised him to take what others were saying with a pinch of salt and to continue pursuing what the Lord had placed upon his heart.
Eventually, as that season came to an end, one of the members at his church offered him a job in the construction industry. “I was surprised; I didn’t tell everyone I gave myself six months to sort things out properly with God. But when the job offer came, I knew it was God’s timing.” Alas, as it was during the pandemic, the company folded due to the mass exit of workers, and Jabez found himself jobless again. Subsequently, under the encouragement of his friend, he decided to try being a private-hire driver, and he has been at this job ever since.
A promise and arrangement Jabez made with his wife early on in their marriage was that his priority would always be his family. His philosophy at work was simple: He was driving to provide for his family, not driving to make himself rich.
Although Jabez’s wife is the main breadwinner in the family, he always made sure he was there to fill the gaps. “No one would say we have too much money. Of course, if there is a need for more household income during that month, I’d be out on the roads more. But for me, I want to make sure I have time for them. God has never failed to provide for me, and I trust God at His word. Up until today, I have never lacked anything.”
Jabez’s life is a testament to God’s divine intervention. Through the different chapters of his life, our brother experienced God’s protection and provision. It all started with one bold and desperate prayer made in that cold prison cell at 5 a.m. God showed up, and his life changed completely. What prayers have you made that revolutionized your walk and realization of God? May Jabez’s story inspire you to trust God in a deeper way.