On Sunday, the Pastor’s wife, Rachel, asked if a couple of
us wanted to go pray with her over Tila, a local woman with cancer. She told us that the lady was not a
believer, but had requested for us to come and pray. Eryn, John, and I went along with another lady from the
church.
When we arrived, we met Tila’s sister, Sarala, who is a
believer. We also found out that
Sarala had been the one who had asked for us, believing that there is much power
in prayer. Sarala shared her heart
with us. She told us that she had driven 10 hours to come pray with her sister,
share with her, and try to get someone from the church to start praying with
her weekly. She told us how
disease and sickness had run rampant in their family. She believed there was a
curse or definite spiritual bondage upon them, because of her families’ Hindu
background. She recounted the
story of the recent death of their younger sister’s, from a different
disease…and she wept as she told us how much she desired salvation for Tila now.
Tila is in the final stages of cancer. What had begun as breast cancer years
ago had now returned as bone cancer. Tila is on the maximum amount of Morphine, but Sarala is
trusting that God can still heal her sister, though the doctor’s say that there
is nothing more that can be done.
After Sarala shared, and we talked to Tila for a few
minutes, Rachel said that she wanted to share the gospel with Tila. Rachel got out her Bible and told her
about the passage in Luke 8, where Jesus heals a sick woman. She made it very clear to Tila that
this was not just a “story,� but instead a true account of something that Jesus
did. Tila listened intently,
although she was still writhing in pain from her disease, continuously
massaging her legs and moving around to try and get more comfortable.
Rachel finished sharing and asked her what she thought about
“her Jesus.� Tila broke down and
through tears said that she had been going to church and had heard many things
about Jesus, but that she just could not believe that they were true. Rachel then shared a part of her own
testimony with Tila. Like Tila,
Rachel had practiced Hinduism, and would fight with her family who were
Christians when they shared with her. However, at one point she knew that there
must be only ONE God, and she shared a vision that God had given her. She was
very patient with Tila, understanding exactly where she was coming from. Eryn then shared the story about the
prodigal son and I shared Hosea 6:1-3 where it talks about how God has “torn us
and will heal us� if we trust in Him.
After we shared all that God had laid on our hearts, we came
together and prayed over the spiritual bondage that her sister felt like her
family was in. We also prayed that her disease be healed because the doctor’s
couldn’t do anything more for her, and most importantly that God would show her
that He was the only “way, truth, and life� and heal her spiritually. Sarala prayed over her sister with
“heartfelt compassion� and with a sisterly love that I completely understand,
having 2 sisters of my own. It was
a very powerful time of prayer and I don’t think that anybody walked away with
dry eyes.
No, Tila did not become a Christian that day, but I pray
that God opens her eyes to His truth.
I desire that all of spiritual forces that are lying to her about what
is true be silenced, and that the One, True God is the only one who comes in
loud and clear. We will go and
pray with her again soon, be praying for us and with us as we do. As David Crowder’s song says, “I think
we’re on the brink of something large…�
