It was our first week of ministry in India. We stopped and prayed for healing. We prayed for her sight to be restored and her illness to be healed. We spent 45 minutes praying, crying out to God to heal this woman. No answer.
Our month in India has looked a lot different than Nepal. All seven teams are staying at the same place. We are all working with different ministries through ICM. Our team is one of two teams working with church planters and serving through village evangelism. Each day we drive to a different village around Ongole. After 30 minutes of speaking with the pastor and understanding his vision for the village we begin praying for the villagers. We usually spend 2 hours walking from house to house and praying for healing or blessings of protection, provision and good health. Each night we preach at a special service that the village has for us.
Our ministry this month has been a time of growth for each of our team members. By the end of the month we will have prayed over a thousand people and each have preached at least five times.
Growing up I hadn’t heard a whole lot about healing. As a kid, I remember reading about how Jesus healed the blind by giving them sight, healed the mute by giving them words to speak and raising Lazarus from the dead. I never imagined I would experience someone receiving this kind of healing. When you hear stories from former World Racers you hear stories of people being raised from the dead, blind eyes given sight and limbs growing back. At first I was skeptical.
This month I have learned a lot and reflected on what faith can do. When I read scripture I see how the faith of the two blind men gave them their sight. Or the faith of the man with leprosy healed him.
Matthew 9:27-30
“As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”; and their sight was restored.
Luke 5:12-13
“While Jesus was in one of those towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.”
The two blind men cried out to Jesus in desperation but also in belief that He could heal them. These two men believed that Jesus was the Son of God. The man with leprosy fell to the ground and begged to be healed. He was crying out to the only One who could heal him. And he knew it. This is what faith can do.
During our first week of ministry a group of four of us from our team spent time praying for a woman. This woman used to be the Sunday School teacher at the church in the village. However, she became very ill and could not teach. She had an illness that caused her to lose her sight, became very weak and caused blood clots in her heart and brain.
As we walked up to her she was laying on a bench and she heard us talking with our translator. She motioned for us to move closer. We started to pray for her then I felt an arm wrap around me and heard someone weeping. This woman wrapped her arms around Mandy and I and began to weep. I couldn’t keep from crying out to God to heal this woman. She was desperate to walk. She was desperate to have the ability to see again. She was desperate to get back to church and start teaching again. She was desperate to be healed.
As we prayed over her I could see her falling at the feet of Jesus and begging for Him to heal her. I wish I could say that she had been healed. We left as she passed out on the bench. She hadn’t been healed. I thought, “God, what happened?” We all knew she would be healed. After looking back at this encounter I was reminded of a well known verse that promises something more precious than our earthly lives.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
This woman knew God could heal her. Even though she hadn’t been healed she still believed and had faith that Jesus Christ was her personal Lord and Savior. She might not have much time left here on earth but she knows where she will be spending eternity. After reflecting over our time with our sister I couldn’t help but be amazed by her faith. After she hadn’t been healed I asked God why. But she knew that He has a plan and His timing is perfect. She knows that this life is only a blink of an eye but eternity is forever.
We, as Christians, are filled with the Holy Spirit right when we confess Christ as our Lord and Savior. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. Prayer is powerful. Pray boldly and courageously.
Matthew 17:20
“He replied,” Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing is impossible for you.”
