I was invited to join the ladies prayer meeting in the slum last Friday and I can only describe the experience as an immense privilege which left me full of wonder at God's active movement in the slums...these ladies from the slum community meet each week to worship, pray, share testimony of how God is at work in their lives and read the Bible. As I finished off teaching a girls English class I heard the meeting start up as a drum beat loudly with wonderful rhythmic sound and praise rose up in Hindi. I slipped in once class was finished, taking my shoes off at the door and joining the 15 or so ladies sitting cross legged on the floor. I felt so humbled and full of joy as I listened to their testimonies. These women, most of them from a Hindu background, told stories of how they “pray in Jesus' name” whatever need they have or situation they face. One shared, emotionally, that her daughter was to be engaged, but she was unable to afford to pay for the engagement, she prayed in Jesus' name and within a few days her friends and family had helped to provide all the money she needed, another explained that her son-in-law had gone out one night, got caught up in a fight and hadn't returned home for a few days, the family and especially his wife were obviously concerned, she prayed in Jesus' name that her son-in-law would make contact to let them know he was ok and within 20 minutes of praying he phoned her! Others relayed stories of healing and provision, each time the testimony was the same “i prayed in Jesus' name and my need was met”.
I was impacted by the simplicity of these womens faith, yet how confident they were in the name of Jesus, each one had been touched by Him. It made me think of how I unnecessarily complicate my faith a lot and how little I allow myself to rely fully on God. These women look to Jesus for all their needs, and they don't have materialistic safety nets like we often do in the west, if you understand what I mean? They have real faith, they understand, in a way we rarely allow ourselves to, that God alone can provide for all their needs. Praying specifically “in Jesus' name” took on new significance too that day, in a culture full of spirituality, full of names of gods and karma and fate, a culture full of worship and prayer to anything and everything the name of Jesus is what is making the difference in these womens lives. These women know that of all the names you can call on, Jesus is the only one that can “move mountains”.
The hardest part of the meeting for me was when the women read from the Bible. They read from Proverbs 22: “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold...Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the maker of them all.”...heads nod...”The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender”, “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor” (verses 1, 2, 7, 9). Reading what the Bible says about the poor is very different when you are reading it along with people who are poor. And do you know what? It is among the poor that I see the most biblical faith, these poor share their food with the poor, they share the little wealth hey have too and their time, they are a family, they are what believers have been called to be. I was asked to share a message from the Bible and pray for the women at the end, I honestly felt so unworthy to do so. These womens faith was uncomplicated and it was real, I have a lot to learn from them and I can't wait till next Friday when we will meet again to pray...
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