Message of Good News

Umme has been crippled in one leg for years and tried many rituals to find healing. Nothing worked, and she became desperate to find a solution. So, when an East-West short-term mission team arrived at her South Asian village with a message of good news, Umme wanted to hear what these foreigners had to say. Jordan and Beth, two of the team members, entered a house full of people waiting for them. Umme sat on the floor as Beth began sharing her story and God’s story. Though Beth shared how Jesus transformed her life, no one responded. Jordan then tried to appeal to the crowd’s intellect with apologetics. Some people seemed interested in what Jordan shared, but they were still unmoved. As Beth looked around, she saw Umme’s leg and felt compelled to pray for her healing. She and Jordan knelt down next to Umme. While they prayed, Beth, who is a doctor, checked Umme’s reflexes to see if any nerves in her leg were working. Soon, other team members arrived and joined Jordan and Beth in praying over Umme, fervently asking God to perform a miracle. Dozens of prayers and reflex tests later, Umme’s leg remained still. It was getting late, and the team had to go to another village. They prayed for God to do amazing things as they began to leave. But Jordan felt a tug on his heart to say one last thing to Umme. He grabbed his translator, knelt beside Umme, and said, “If you had been healed today, you would have enjoyed being able to walk again. But one day, you still would have died. And when you die, what will your hope be in? You heard us share the story of Jesus, how He died for your sins and can give you a new life. You heard how He has the power to do that because He rose from the grave three days after being killed. Those who put their faith in Jesus are promised that when He gives us eternal life, we will receive new bodies that will never pass away. I want you to have faith for an eternal body where you can walk with Jesus forever. Do you believe in Jesus?” Without a second thought, Umme said, “Yes.” Later, Jordan was wrestling with what happened that day. Umme was the only person in her village to accept Jesus. Though Jordan was happy for that, he wondered how many other people might have believed in Jesus if God had healed her leg. As Jordan read a book to prepare for more gospel conversations, he found a story from Josh McDowell: “A brother I personally know was telling me about seventeen people in a group of former Muslims. Every one of them had seen visions or dreams of Jesus. One of the men asked this brother if he had seen Jesus in a vision. He replied, ‘No.’ The man put his arm around my friend and said, ‘How blessed are you! You have not seen Him, yet you love Him, and you serve Him.’ Then he added, ‘We have no excuse; we have seen Him face to face!’” Jordan thanked God for reminding him how great Umme’s faith is to trust in Jesus without experiencing the miracle of healing. While Jordan still prays for God to heal Umme, he rejoices in the greater miracle of her new life in Christ, knowing her body will be healed in eternity.