Death Defeated

Barbara lives in a small remote village in India with no doctor or any medical help whatsoever. She is an older woman who has already endured a lifetime of pain, as her daughter and son-in-law died suddenly a few months back, leaving Barbara solely responsible for her 10-year-old granddaughter. She does her best to provide for the girl’s needs, but everything changed when the child became gravely ill and after growing increasingly weaker the granddaughter could only lay in bed. Barbara was too poor to travel to find a doctor and she had no one to help them. The situation appeared hopeless and Barbara was filled with fear about what might happen to her precious granddaughter. It soon became clear the child would not survive. She was terribly sick and labored to breathe. Barbara fell to her knees and cried out to whoever was listening, whichever God was the most powerful. She didn’t know and she didn’t care because she was simply desperate for divine intervention. She repeatedly begged for help and wept until she grew faint and fell into a deep sleep. In her dream, Barbara saw a man dressed in white standing before her. He smiled and said, ​“I am Jesus and I have healed your child.” When she woke up, she found her granddaughter sleeping peacefully for the first time in weeks. She had no fever or any signs of the constant pain that had plagued her. Morning arrived and the child hurried from bed exclaiming that she was feeling much better. The pair went into the village and told all of their neighbors about Jesus and the miracle He performed. A church planter in the area heard their story and found Barbara and her granddaughter at their home. He told them about the Gospel message and he shared more about Jesus and both of them joyfully surrendered their lives to Christ.

Consider these verses found in Psalm 118:5 – 7: Out of my distress I called on the Lord. The Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is on my side, I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper, I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.

What should we fear if we have the Lord to lean upon in times of distress? Absolutely nothing. God is faithful to hear our cries and set us free.