I am a doubter. Very often, I doubt that our God is a god who still heals people. I doubt that works miracles, and every so often, I even doubt His existence. I’m ashamed to say it, but it’s true. I feel like As strong as my faith is one minute, the next minute it could waver under questioning. But I yearn to see it. It’s not that I don’t believe He can heal. My God is not a god small enough to put in a box, but a lot of times I’ve wanted God to move just so I could see hard evidence of His power and existence. I am just like Gideon.
During our second to last week in Nepal, our host send us out on a faith day. Just as Jesus sent out the disciples with no money, food, or clothing, our host sent us out into Kathmandu with nothing but the goal to share the gospel.
Faith brought my squad mates Jason and Tyler, and me to the slums miles from our home where the Lord showed us what it means to give when you don’t have.
Meet Kaasim, a 22-year old Indian immigrant who leads his home consisting of four sisters, his mother Bhago, and his two-an-a-half year old nephew. We met Kaasim after the Lord graciously provided us with a free cab ride to a different part of the city. We had no idea why we went there, we just went. After walking around the area for a while, Kaasim started walking next to Tyler and began a conversation. He explained that he was in Thamel to practice his English. Once I explained to him why three Americans had no money to sit down for lunch, but would still love to talk and help him in conversing in English, he graciously invited us to his home for lunch.
This family lives in a one-room shack made with bamboo and tarp in the poorest of the poor slums. They fed us, talked, gave me anklets, Chai tea, and water. The girls played with my hair and gave me henna.
Kaasim’s belief in God is loosely Hindu. He believes al gods are ultimately one God, and as long as you love people you will be okay.
We had no money to offer. But what we offered was greater than everything – the gospel. And to show that this gospel is true, that our God is alive, we prayed for healing over Kaasim’s mother’s hearing in her left ear. She hasnt heard out of it for over twenty years. As I prayed for healing and kissed her deaf ear, she began to weep and cling to me. Her son interpreted that her hearing had returned. I told her that the hand of the one true God touched her today.
The following day, we met with Kaasim again, and he was in awe that his mother could still hear. A week later, Tyler and I returned with our host to Kaasim’s home. Bhago still had her hearing! And our host is going to help Kaasim get a job and train his sisters and mother in eight different trades.
Kaasim looked at me, eyes moist with tears, as he walked us back to the main road to catch a cab after our meeting and told me this was the best day of his life. I just responded with praise to our King.
I thought that when I saw the day that God healed somebody in front of my eyes it would be something extremely supernatural. In one way, that was true. A woman who hadn’t heard for 20 years received her hearing back. But on the other hand, there were no flashing lights, visions, feelings of floating, hot hands or anything of the sort. The only thing that was supernatural was my confidence that He would heal Bhago when Tyler proposed that I pray for her Bhearing. And it made sense. In a land full of false God’s with false power and deaf people (physically and spiritually), Jesus will show that He is the only God. All else is false, and He’s not going to leave the lies hidden when it comes to His children.
As miraculous as the healing was, the power wasn’t in the healing. The power was in the gospel of love. That is what moved Kaasim and his mother to tears.
Jesus is our Savior and longs for a personal relationship. He’s a healer, protector and provider. I witnessed Him do it all in Nepal.
How big is your Jesus compared to your problem?
How can you step out in faith today into the Lord’s plan for you?
What is stopping you from believing?
What things are you running to for healing other than the gospel of Jesus Christ?
