FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU

Ps Paul Silvanus - AO partner in India

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God has a plan for each of us. We may not always understand His plan, but we still need to be obedient as we try to fulfil it and as the prophet Micah says (Micah 6:8) "What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God"

The middle age couple had been childless for many years. Desperate, they turn to the only god they knew at that time and vowed that if they were granted an heir, they would dedicate him back to the god. After some time, the wife conceived and bore a male child whom they name Munirathnam, after the Hindu god they prayed to, and true to their promise the child was dedicated back to the god.

According to Hindu custom, a child dedicated to a god is not allowed to cut his hair until he has reached adolescent. Hence, when Munirathnam came of age, his parents held a grand ceremony and took him to the temple for his first haircut. After his head was shaved, they noticed a big lump protruding from the base of his neck. Later, doctors confirmed that it was a tumour but they were told that nothing can be done about it. Once again, they sought the help of their gods and took Munirathnam to many temples and mediums but to no avail.

At that time, Munirathnam’s grandmother who is a born-again Christian persuaded his parents to let her take him to church. She also started to read the Bible to him every day and fasted and prayed fervently for God to heal him. After one week, the family noticed that the tumour had reduced in size. By the end of the second week, it has completely disappeared! It was then that Pastor Munirathnam Selvaraj and his entire family accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

Desiring to serve God, Ps Muni attended the Chennai Mission School. After graduation, he was posted to the village of Dalit in Pannur which is a substation of Andha Pradesh where he grew up. As it was a pioneering ministry, conditions were extremely challenging. The church, which is also his dwelling place, was a small thatched roof structure which he built with his own hands.

One day while he was fasting and praying for God’s guidance, a woman with a big stomach came to him and requested for prayer. At first glance, he thought she was pregnant but she explained that she has been living with a huge tumour in her stomach for some time but could not afford the long trip to the hospital to seek help. To make matters worse, upon the discovery of her illness, her husband left her for another woman. Filled with compassion, Ps Muni prayed for her and immediately she fell to the ground, rolling and vomiting blood until she passed out. Eventually she woke up and left.

The next day, he heard a big commotion outside his house and upon checking, was terrified to see a large mob marching towards him. He stood there trembling with fear, trying to figure out what went wrong. Suddenly, the crowd parted and the woman he prayed for the day before came forward and pointed to him saying in a loud voice “This is the man who prayed for me and his God has healed me”. That day 75 people accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

Ps Muni’s testimony is a classic example of God’s divine and unique plan for each of us. Who would have imagined that a child dedicated to a Hindu god can one day be used by the Lord in such an awesome way? Trusting that God will make a way, Ps Muni obeyed His calling and took the Gospel to a place where no one went before and God honoured his faithfulness by making ‘rivers appear in the desert’.

God has created us for a specific role in this world. All He requires from us is to trust and obey. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths”. And therein lies the secret of all the notable men and women of God. They trust Him explicitly.

Prayer Points

1. Pray for the cultural barriers of the caste system and Hinduism to be overcome
    by the Gospel.

2. Pray for justice and hope in a nation plagued by oppression, poverty, and disease.

3. Pray for missionaries to stay focused on God and His plans above all else.