Raji was young, athletic and successful. His life was the picture of perfection. But when he was struck with a sudden illness that left him partially paralyzed, he thought his life was over. Fortunately for Raji, the Lord had other plans.
Raji and his family were devoted to their region’s traditional religion, so when Raji became ill, they took him to religious centers and performed rituals for his healing. They spent large amounts of money but found no results. They lost all hope as Raji’s condition remained the same.
“While I was in the sickbed I used to think, ‘My life has no meaning; now I am going to finish it,’” Raji recalls. “I pleaded with gods and goddesses to save me, but nothing happened.”
A Visitor Knows the Cure
Hope showed its face when a cousin came to visit Raji. The cousin was a believer, and he invited Raji to go to church with him. Although travel was difficult for Raji, he agreed to go.
Slowly, the Lord softened Raji’s heart, and the young man responded by choosing to follow Jesus. As he grew in his faith, the Lord began a healing process in his body.
“The Lord Jesus did miracles,” Raji remembers. “I was able to walk slowly with a bent body. My life is filled with happiness and joy and the Lord Jesus gave me a ray of hope by making me able to walk and sit.”
Raji still had severe physical limitations, but the improvement showed that God could do anything in his life. Raji wasn’t content to enjoy these changes for himself—he desired to serve in ministry so that others could also experience the joy of knowing the Lord.
He Couldn’t Be Stopped
But then, Raji faced even more challenges when he decided to go to Bible college. His family was upset with him, his friends mocked him and even Christian workers discouraged him, saying it would be too much for him to handle with his condition. But Raji was determined, knowing that God was calling him.
Raji worked hard and successfully completed his theological training. Because he couldn’t travel around by himself, a partner joined him as he started his ministry. He went to hospitals, bus stands, marketplaces and railway stations to seek out needy and hurting people who needed his message of hope.
And God blessed his perseverance. Today Raji serves as pastor of a church with more than 200 believers. The Lord is working through his weakness and is doing great things.
Raji feels joy in all his efforts and wants to continue testifying for the Lord who has saved him. His desire is to motivate those who are able to do even more than him.
“Without God in my life, I would not have been able to cope with these things in the way that I have now,” Raji says.
