The God of the Living

Brother Chandan shares:

“I serve among a tribe that lives in the remote jungles of north India. The tribals are poor, illiterate, and survive on the produce collected from the forest and cultivation they carry out on cleared forest land. They are often a oppressed people. 

Some of the villagers in this remote tribe carry out all kinds of sacrifice. Last year, I began to pray for these villagers. None of them had heard about our Lord. I was unsure when I visited them if I will be accepted or killed. Yet I prayed; and with God's courage I went to them.

When I reached the first village, the villagers encircled me. I told them, "I have words of life, if you will let me share." I told them the story of the Roman centurion who came to Jesus for the healing of his sick servant (Matt. 8:5-13). After I shared the story, one of the elders said, "These are truly words of life." They were hearing about Jesus Christ for the first time in their lives. They asked me to continue to share.

I spoke about a God who heals our hearts and our lives. As I closed, one man rose up and said, "I have never heard such words before. Our entire village and my family have faithfully worshipped the spirits of these forests. But we constantly remain under dark weight. A weight - of illnesses and quarrelling and uneasiness - remains upon us." The day that I visited and spoke; five members of one family became sick.

The villagers asked me to stay with them and continue to teach in the evening. I shared from the life of Abraham and slept in one of their huts.  I very carefully shared about Isaac being taken up for sacrifice and how God offered a ram in his place. I briefly shared about the perfect sacrifice of God in Jesus Christ. I did wonder if I will be killed that night, but I trusted in God. When I woke up the next day, I was very glad to be alive.

Later that morning, before I headed out of the forest, I decided to go to the home of the family whose five members were sick. The villagers were informed that I was visiting this sick family. Soon, the entire clan and several villagers gathered around the hut. As I went in, the head of the clan said, "If your Jesus is a true God, then ask Him to heal this family. We want to see if your book is true for us."

I had a God-given courage in my heart. After all, I represented Him as a living God. So, with all the boldness of the Kingdom of God, I put my hand on the head of this man and began to pray. As I began to pray, I noticed that the oldest man began to breathe heavily. I did not fully understand all that was happening, but realized that God was doing something. Then their teenage daughter, who had severe and constant chest pain, sat up. I continued to pray with all that I had. By the end, all five family members were able to get up from their sick beds, move around, and declare that they felt perfectly well.

The family immediately put their faith in our Lord. The elders have asked me to return so that they can think more about the 'living words' I have shared.”

We request your prayers for Brother Chandan and this village.