Faith isn't dead. It's only on vacation in Pakistan.

There is a small mission magazine I receive every few months. Today as I was reading it, one of the items was so cool. I need to remember it.

PAKISTAN

Nasir's death was another one of those tragedies that people have to deal with. At seventeen years of age he had been diagnosed with bowl cancer. He was a Brahvi boy from a very rich family living in the town of Mastung, an hour's drive from the capital of Baluchistan, Quetta. The doctor he consulted in Quetta admitted him to the hospital and operated on him. However, Nasir didn't recover as hoped, but deteriorated rapidly. Five days later, surrounded by relatives, Nasir died. The doctors confirmed his death. It was Monday afternoon, 2nd May, 2005.

The hospital staff started to prepare his body for burial. The cannulas and IV lines were removed. They tied his two big toes together, strapped his jaw up to close his mouth tightly, and stuffed cotton wool into his nostrils. The ambulance was called to take the body home for the funeral.

In that same hospital two young Christian men worked as orderlies. During the course of work, one of these had become friendly with Nasir and his relatives. When he saw Nasir dead he went and told the other Christian orderly to come and pray. However, Shoquat didn't want to pray as Nasir was already dead. Still the friend pressured Shoquat. So the two friends went to Nasir's room. There lay the boy, destroyed by sickness, surrounded by fifteen grief-stricken relatives.

Because of the friend's insistence, Shoquat took courage and picked up the dead boys hand. As he prayed he began to sense the power of God. Trembling, he prayed in Jesus' name that the boy would come back to life. The corpse started to move and opened his eyes. Wild cries of disbelief and tears of joy began to flow from the seventeen witnesses. They set Nasir's face and nose free and watched as he sat up, very much alive and healed. Shoquat was swamped with kisses and hugs. For some twenty-five minutes Nasir had been dead, with no breathing or a pulse. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the Lord Jesus had done an amazing work - for a Brahvi youth. He was discharged from the hospital at 11 p.m. that night, completely well.

The doctors were baffled and embarrassed. That same day Shoquat was questioned by the hospital superintendent. The administration concluded that it was impossible. The were unwilling to admit that the Christians' Jesus had done a great miracle. When Shoquat and his friend arrived for work the following day they were handed their pay and told they were fired. The only reason given was that other men were being employed in their place.

There was great rejoicing - late into the night as the church celebrated the great work that the Lord Jesus had done. And there was great rejoicing in Nasir's home.

(Names have been changed)

 

"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

- Jesus