While in India I have seen many incredible things happen. I have seen people healed of sickness, demons cast out, and many people decide to give their lives to the Lord. It is truly incredible to be part of such a life changing, kingdom of God bringing ministry. In the midst of all of this though there is one story that I want to share with you that was more powerful than any of the others in my life.
The night this story took place went the same way most other nights go. We drove to a village and when we arrived we began to go from house to house in order to pray for people. We had only gone to one other house when we arrived at the house of one of the believers.
While at this believers house there were so many distractions. People talking all around as they followed us, an interpreter that barely spoke English, and then there was a man who had no belief in what we were doing. This man could have been the grandfather of the home or the father, I am not really sure. Either way though as the women of the home came forward to receive prayer this man was scoffing and laughing at what we were doing.
I decided to pray for the women and for the home but then I felt the Holy Spirit direct me to pray for this man even though he did not believe. When I sked if I could pray for him the interpreter said he did not want prayer, but I insisted. Finally, after many words communicated that I did not understand both the man and the interpreter agreed to let me pray for him.
I found out that this man was not a believer and he also had lots of pain in his legs that made it difficult for him to walk. So I decided to lay my hand upon him and begin to pray. My prayer for him was that the Lord would fill him with the Holy Spirit and bring conviction to him in that moment. I also prayed that God would heal him of his legs so that he would know that our testimony about Jesus was powerful and true.
I resolved to be like Paul while I was praying in what he says in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power“
A the beginning of the prayer the man was laughing and scoffing at us but in the midst of praying he fell silent. Everything else continued to be overwhelmingly confusing around us but something in him had changed. I finished my prayer and I looked at him. He no longer had a smile on his face and he was no longer laughing. He looked straight at me with unwavering eyes that revealed to me that something serious had happened to him.
I asked the interpreter to help me to talk with him but amidst the confusion she did not ask him and just pushed me along to the next house. I never got to ask that man what changed but I didn’t actually need to. I know exactly what happened in his life.
While I was praying for him I know that God healed the pain in his legs and from that I know that he realized that my God is a powerful God. Before I prayed he had no belief in what we had to share but afterward he knew that the testimony we shared was one of power given by most powerful and only true God.
In that brief moment I was able to see that man’s life completely changed by God. There is no doubt in my mind that God is bringing that man into his kingdom and changing his life.
Our God is a powerful God that can change the heart of anyone he chooses. Sometimes he chooses to reveal this power and sometimes he doesn’t, but in this moment he chose to reveal it. That night I was able to see God change the life of a man more drastically than anyone else I have ever witnessed so that His name could be glorified.
