This passage came to my mind as I was told the following story:
Luke 12:6-7 6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
A yak herder, high in the Himalayas, had a real problem. His whole herd of 12 animals had fallen deathly sick. The yaks must have eaten something poisonous in their dry grass. They were down and getting so weak they could not get up. The mother’s milk stopped because of the sickness, so the calves were near starving as well. The yak herder was worried. This herd was his family’s whole source of food and income. And they were about to lose it all!
The yak herder and his family called the local conjurer (witch doctor). He came and performed incantations and spells. Nothing seemed to be working. They even sacrificed a small goat and poured the blood of the goat over the head of each yak. Nothing happened, the yaks were just getting weaker. So, getting more worried now, the yak herder called the Buddhist lama (priest) to come to pray for his animals. He came and prayed to Buddha to heal the animals. He beat his drum to have a séance to bring up the spirits to heal the yaks. But, again, nothing happened.
Desperate that nothing was working, and the animals were near dying, the yak herder called the pastor of the nearest church. He was away in another village, so they asked for one of the elders of the church to come to pray for their dying animals. The elder immediately went to their place and started praying over the yaks. He anointed each yak with oil made from yak fat. As he prayed and laid hands on each of the yaks, they got up right away and started eating hay. They were very hungry after not eating for several days. The mothers started nursing their calves and they strengthened.
Not long ago, RHMI evangelists had conducted training in God’s Word at that local church. The elder told us he remembered the training and the verses that were taught him. He went right into that yak shed and, in the name of Jesus, took dominion over the spirits that were there. As Jesus had done before, he commanded them to leave and for healing to flow into each of those yaks as he laid his hands on them!
Luke 12:6-7 came to my mind as I heard this story because, the yak herder’s family, all seven of them, gave their hearts to the Lord as the church elder told them about the story of Jesus. They were so happy that their animals were made well.
God created the animals. They are all His and He values each one of them. But He values people more and wants them to come to know His Son, Jesus. When this family saw that this true living God cared for them and their animals, they wanted to serve and worship Him instead of the former gods that would not or could not help them.
No comments