The Lord’s Favor

It was a very cold November morning at the mission station located in the foothills of Jharkhand, North India.

Peering through the nets that protected me from the swarms of mosquitoes during the night, I saw a man sitting wrapped in a blanket on the stone bench. His arms cradled a young boy. They sat there hardly speaking, enjoying each other’s warmth and togetherness.

The soft rays of the early morning sun slowly began to break through the haze and shone on the faces of the two on the stone bench. Tears were running down the face of the man as he held the boy close to him.

I vividly remembered my first trip to the Malta hills, about a four-hour trek from this mission station. There I met many malnourished children with bulging tummies and frail bodies walking around with hardly any clothes on. Even the adults were undernourished.

Very few of them made it to their 40th birthdays. It was the desperate cry for help from this same man on the bench that began our sponsorship ministry, which now ministers to more than 3,000 Malto children.

This frail little boy and many other children like him have survived, thrived, and are well on their way to becoming fulfilled Christian adults.

God is indeed restoring this community to full health, and the darkness is being turned to the brightness of noon.

Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. —Isaiah 58:8, GNT

Prayer: Lord, cause each of us to plant a ray of hope in the hearts of parents for their children today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mathew George served as the Area Director for Compassion India.

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