Source: East-West Ministries International, September 2023
Meera was a devout follower of Shiva as well as other [Hindu gods and] goddesses. Daily, she would pray to the gods and regularly provided animal sacrifices and fasted. She would even cut her fingers to offer her blood as a sacrifice.
Being a devoted Hindu was Meera’s entire identity, and she renounced other beliefs. She hated Christians and would sometimes join others to persecute them.
One day, Meera became sick and discovered she had a tumor in her stomach. She immediately turned to her Hindu gods for healing. She built a temple at her home to worship them and performed even more rituals. But her illness only became worse. She became bedridden and could no longer get up to perform her sacrifices.
When she had lost all hope to live, Meera invited a Christian neighbor named Rohan to her home. Rohan shared the gospel with Meera and prayed that Jesus would heal her. But Meera’s heart was hardened, and she refused to believe in Jesus. She stubbornly continued to worship her gods while her sickness ravaged her body.
After several months, Meera was desperate. She invited Rohan to her home again. This time, Rohan brought other Christian friends to pray for her and share the gospel again.
Eventually, Meera’s heart softened, and she began to show signs of healing. Rohan and his friends continually visited Meera to pray, and Meera’s condition improved day by day. The Christ-followers began meeting in Meera’s home to teach her the Bible.
Then, Meera was able to get out of her bed. She was completely healed.
The full story reports that Meera was baptized and has led several people in her village to Christ.
Earlier this month, East-West published What Is Ganesh Chaturthi? in reference to a festival celebrated this week. Let’s pray for more “changes of heart.”
15 Days of Prayer for the Hindu World will be November 5-19. If you’re interested, get a free copy of the booklet (Bibles for the World/Mission Network News). It’s also for sale for US$3/copy (World Prayer Guides). The focus this year is Hindus in diaspora.