In mid-July, we had the opportunity to witness an amazing miracle…again 
Well, Thursday rolled around, and it was extremely hot that day. In addition, I was not feeling too well. Earlier in the week I had spent two days in bed with a 103 degree temperature. I did not have much energy. One of our church members even called me to say we should delay ministry for one day, so that I would have more time to recover from my illness. But, it was our Japanese missionary’s last day with us, and I wanted him to enjoy one last ministry trip to the Priya market. So, we decided to make the trip.
On our way to the market, we were stopped at a red light, when all of a sudden another car came and hit us. It was a weird accident, as if the other driver just hadn’t been paying attention or had very poor judgment. I remember thinking to myself at the time, “I bet God is going to do something really good today, that is why all these obstacles are coming our way.”
We got to the market a few minutes later than planned. After situating ourselves in our regular spot, I looked around. There were not a lot of people around, and the children who collect garbage were no where in sight. The previous week we had learned that a new security had been placed at the market, and they were not allowing the children to be there.
A few minutes passed and no one came for prayer. I saw a few people looking at us, actually even staring at us, but no one came for prayer. Usually the children are the first to come for prayer, and seeing them, others come as well. But, since the children were no longer allowed to be there, I began to wonder if anyone would come for prayer. I began to silently pray, under my breath.
Mom indicated to me that she was going to sit over to the side and pray. I told her to sit next to a girl I had noticed was staring at us. Perhaps Mom could strike up a conversation with her and then she would want prayer. So, Mom went and sat, and started to pray. I was praying where I was.
A few moments later, a man came up to me and asked for a copy of our testimony. I asked him if he wanted prayer as well, but he said no. He said that someone had come earlier from very far away for prayer, and he was taking the testimony to give to them if they returned.
A few moments later, another man came up to me. He said he had been waiting in the market since 1PM (it was now 7PM). He had come from Meerut (a city in a neighboring state) for prayer. I asked him what he would like prayer for, and he said it was not for him, but for his wife. He pointed towards a women, in her mid-thirties, who was slowly making her way towards where I was. She seemed to be having a lot of trouble walking. It didn’t seem like she was able ot bend her knees or fully put her feet on the ground. She was more waddling, than walking.
Finally, she was standing next to me. She repeated what her husband had told me about having waited for 6 hours for us to come! She told me that she was in extreme pain, from head to foot. She described what seemed to be a sort of arthritic condition. I looked at her hands; her fingers were curled under. I told her Jesus would heal her. We began to pray.
I said three short prayers. She said she felt a slight difference in the pain. But of course, she was not satisfied. Neither was I. We prayed a few more times. Then, I told her to wait 5 minutes and we would pray again. I assured her that Jesus was going to heal her, but that it would take some time. We would need to pray and wait, pray and wait. For some reason, with certain healings, we have seen that if we follow this pray and wait pattern, we get the best results.
The lady went and sat a few feet away from me and waited. Rather than having her get up again after 5 minutes, I asked Mom to go and lay hands on her, and I prayed from where I was. Again, she felt a slight difference only. Others from our group joined us in prayer.
We followed the prayer and wait method. After some time, the lady said she felt something leave from her ears, and with that, she felt an instant freedom. She was able to move. The pain was significantly less! She told us that for years she had felt like someone had tied her up with ropes. She was bound and could not move. Now she felt free! A smile crept to her lips. She said for the first time in years, she was experiencing joy!
With continued prayer, she got better and better. Her husband was in tears seeing the miraculous change in his wife.
Later the couple told us that the lady had been sick for over 10 years. Just 15 days after her first child was born, she began experiencing pain and stiffness. And that pain and stiffness had just grown with time. They had tried everything, in an effort to make her well. She had had a second child because faith healers and others had told her that she would be healed when she gave birth a second time. But, this did not happen. She had even stayed for 3 months at Ram Dev’s (a yoga, ayuvedic healer) camp, but to no avail.
The lady told us that she was able to eat hardly anything. She said her life was like living under severe punishment. She was now at the point that she could not do anything for herself. For the past 3 months, she had been living with her mother, who had been bathing her, dressing her, and even feeding her.
In fact, that day, the husband had come from a far-away city to take the wife to the hospital to get her admitted, because the mother could no longer take care of her. She had deteriorated so much, they didn’t know how much longer she would survive. Someone at the hospital had told them that instead of getting her admitted, they needed to go to the market and get prayer, and she would be healed. The man who guided them to the market testified that he had been unable to move his arm and after prayer at the market, Jesus had completely healed him. He said he had sent many people to the market, and they had all been healed!
So, as a last ditch effort, this couple had made their way to the market. As soon as they arrived at the market, they had asked a shop keeper if this was the right market where we come to pray. The shop keeper told them that they were at the right place and that they too surely would receive their healing. He testified that he had had a severe headache for years, but after prayer, Jesus had healed him.
The couple told us that while they were waiting, they had asked several peope about their experiences and each person had had a testimony to share of how Jesus had healed them at the market. Even the slum children who hang out at the market had reassured the couple that if they waited, they would experience Jesus’ healing power.
At around 6PM, one of the children told the couple, “It looks like they are not coming. You should go to the church. Maybe they will be there.” So, the couple had made their way to the church where we hold Sunday prayer. But, there they were in the middle of conducting mass, so no one was able to give them our contact number. Just as they had almost lost hope, they got a call from the market saying we had arrived!
And the rest, is history! Jesus touched and healed the woman. After Thursday, she came to our house a few times for continued prayer to receive 100% healing.
In Luke 4, Jesus said of Himself, quoting from the Book of Isaiah:
18 “ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
Just as Jesus promised in these verses, Jesus set this woman free from her captivity. She was bound by pain and stiffness and Jesus gave her liberty.
In the same way, if you are poor, brokenhearted, blind, oppressed or captive, look to Jesus. He has come to give you “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” Isaiah 61:3. He has come to change your life this very day. Just call upon His name…JESUS.