A Miracle of prayer

Shalom in the name of Christ.

I got married on the 6th of October 2010, starting a new  journey in the name of Christ. As any newly married couple  we were happy  and enjoying every moment of our married life with our friends, family and church. Soon,  we were in the family way; it was a very blessed time for both of us.

In Sep- 2011, during a  normal medical checkup, we came to know that the baby will be born with Down syndrome. While we received this news with fear and shock,  our journey in Faith started from here. Multiple tests were taken, in Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, but every report gave the same result. With  every passing day our fear became bigger and bigger. At the end of six months  we were finally prescribed the last test from the baby's serum and we had to wait for 21 days to get the report. By this time we were physically, mentally and  financially exhausted.

We were only looking to our God for a miracle in this report but after 21 days we were shattered as this final report was the same. But, having resigned to this fact, we got strength from Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.".

Doctors  started counseling us  to abort the baby, but we had surrendered to God our Father and decided that we will have this child. You see, we had already had one miscarriage and we did not want to lose this blessing as well. 

As we were financially exhausted and could not afford Apollo hospital we consulted another doctor by the name of  Dr. Y. Pandey of Holy Family. Hospital, New Delhi. We visited her residence in the month of Jan-12, but she refused to take our case at this late stage of the  pregnancy, which was nearly 7 months. But we did not lose our hope and started visiting her residence every day and every day she refused. And then the first miracle happened. After 10 days God changed her heart and she accepted our case. After seeing all the reports she too was convinced that the baby would be born with Down’s syndrome. She gave us the delivery date of the  23rd of March but my wife didn’t have any labour pain. However, we went to the hospital on the 23rd morning at 7:00 AM  and my wife got admitted. There was still no labour pain so the doctor gave procedures to induce labour but with no success. After an examination the doctor told us the same procedure will be repeated tomorrow. 

Later, at 6 p.m.  Dr. Y. Pandey came and said “ Ashish I am going to the chapel so be around, I will come after my prayer and will talk to you” (I remember those words very clearly), she came back after 45 mins and said to me “Ashish, I will do the surgery today”, I said “Ma’am she is your patient and you know better”.

That day, the 23rd of March, at  nearly 10:00 pm, doctor came out from operation theater with the baby…..the doctor was crying, as was I.  She said Ashish God has performed a miracle on your baby while she was in the womb. This is your Baby Girl and her weight is 3.75 Kgs., absolutely normal and healthy! The moment I saw my daughter I was on my knees to Praise our Father Jesus Christ for this blessing.

In those nine months, God did perform the biggest and best miracle of our lives. I believe our prayers were not in vain. 

Today, my daughter’s age is around 10 years and her name is Nilisha Merrill Kumar. (Nilisha means – Aquamarine, Spiritually connected with God), she is a big blessing in our life and we have surrendered her to Christ.

This was my testimony and we as a family are in complete surrender to our Lord Jesus Christ, He is our Father and He will take care of everything.

May God Bless You all in Jesus name. Amen

Ashish and Shalini.

God’s grace and peace

I trust you all are fine and protected by God’s grace and peace.

I write to you today to share about Gods work in our family. 

 

In 2020 my family and I undertook a visit abroad for some work and also visited my brother for a month. But lockdowns were announced by India and flights got cancelled, right from the day we were to fly back, 23rd of March, 2020. And then one thing and another led to our extended stay..

At the same time, our daughter had to leave early to return back to India and thus we were separated during these dangerous times. Daughter in India and we are here, which gives us a lot of anxiety and worry. Believe me when I say we were in constant despair. Our constant endeavor was to be able to catch a flight and head back. But such was not God’s will. However, in June she was able to get permission to fly from the authorities and was finally able to come to us after landing here and spending 14 days in quarantine.

Today, we are all here, living at home in my brothers house and in peace and have been granted stay till June 2022.

I cannot but think of this as God’s grace and plan. Like Noah, we have been put in an Ark and taken high above the dangers which we would have faced. In retrospect, with the kind of travelling I have to do for my work, I am sure I would have got the virus and brought it home. In all probability it would have been fatal for my wife and/or me. But God willed otherwise.

God has not only brought us to safety but also provided for our needs as well, with my brother opening his home for us and his family adjusting with us for so long. When I think of this blessing, I think of this as nothing short of a miracle. There was no way this could have happened but for divine intervention.

Thinking back, I see His hand of mercy and provision every day of our life. Impossibilities becoming realities, personally as well as professionally. I think I am the living embodiment of the forgiveness of Christ and His blood. For I am probably the least person to deserve what I have received. There is no deservingness in any form of what God has done throughout, and what He is doing today. I do not know His plan, nor do I understand why we have been blessed so much. But what I do know is this: I have learnt my lesson of trusting in God’s plan for me, and not my own, and taking one day at a time, waiting on His will.

I have also learnt that He does speak to us. In my daily devotional, I keep getting messages with His promises of deliverance. When we were worried sick about our daughter, He spoke through His word and assured us of reunion with her soon. Of course, I took it in that it meant we will go back to India to her. We were reunited with her but not in India, and against all norms and government policies, in this country. Another huge miracle has been finances. I had not done internet banking in the bank account where we had our savings, nor did we take a debit card, for security reasons. We had our travel money but obviously not to last 2 years. God provided there as well. The General Manager of that bank (public sector) is a Christian and, unbelievingly, he transferred money to our other bank (private bank) without a check or a Draft or anything. Simply a request on mail. No signatures, no checks, on private gmail and to another Bank. This, in my experience, is an impossibility in a public sector bank in India!

Workwise we also were supported. Not one person from our team fell ill. Cash flow, though affected and jerky, still was there and payments received when we really needed them. Yes the financial strain has been huge but not back breaking. We still survived, though so many start-ups and SMEs closed shop.

Today, I believe we four are still in the Ark and sailing in safety from the storm and the flood. Where? I do not know, but I do know that He who has brought us thus far, will be there and not desert us.

Again and again Jeremiah 11:19 kept coming up and I take it as His promise for me and my family.

I share this story with you not only as gratitude but also as a testimony to encourage others in Christ. That forgiveness which I had taken for granted in the past as well as His blessings and miracles, has brought us here. I think we owe our very lives to God and His angel. 

I was somehow prompted to share this with you. This is not the first evidence of God's hand over our family’s lives but the most recent and relevant. For the rest, let me just say it has been many times He has snatched us up from disaster and ruin and, probably not the last.

Meanwhile, we continue to pray for all our brothers and sisters who have been affected by this pandemic or loss of jobs etc. We look forward to a new world soon. 

Name withheld by request

This is my desire to honour you..

This is my Desire to honour you 🙏