Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things! (Psalms 72:18)

I have a leather pouch that I often carry with me in my briefcase. The pouch itself was a gift from a fellow minister; one of those expensive, over-priced leather pieces from an exclusive line of leather works. I cherish it because it’s from a friend and fellow, fine leather lover, but even more, I prize what I carry inside it.

In that pouch are several pieces of well-worn paper containing the testimonies of people who were miraculously healed through the television ministry we once had in India. Let me immediately qualify that statement by saying that I’m not talking about an expensive, high-dollar production, but something that was literally done in my home basement, in the most provincial of settings, with the cheapest of equipment. Today, I’m pretty handy with video production, but back then we actually used an old home camcorder with VHS tapes. Our set was comprised of a table I bought at Kmart and a folding room divider covered with images of Corinthian columns that I bought at a Home Goods store. Humble beginnings, to be certain, but what we lacked in production quality we made up for in an earnest desire to see lives changed.

It all started when we were contacted by a couple of brothers in India who had a wonderful ministry in Tamil Nadu, India’s southern-most province. Velu and Elan, as they become lovingly known to my family and me, had established and oversaw a large number of churches and were hungry to see their nation touched by the power of God. Having seen some of the content on our website, they asked me to come to India and help them “reap a harvest” there. As honored as I was by the invitation, I explained that I was then busily engaged in trying to do the same in Vermont, where I pastored at the time.

Undeterred, they invited me to provide programming for the Christian television channel on which they broadcasted. I was more than happy to oblige and thus began our “international” television effort. We primarily preached on healing, and at the end of the program we prayed for the sick and led them to Christ. Despite the simplicity of our efforts, I knew God would confirm His Word. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the testimonies began to roll in.

Today, at work, I pulled out one of those testimonies that Velu had sent to me some fourteen years ago. Some of them had been sent directly to our email, which we advertised at the end of each program, and some of them came into the ministry there in India. As I once again read that testimony, I smiled and then handed it to one of my colleagues to read. The letter is as follows, with only a few adjustments for spelling and grammar:

Dear Pr. Randy,

 Trust that you got my earlier email. The Lord is working, and we have people calling and letters keep coming.

 Just now a lady came and told that she heard you were preaching about a woman with an issue of blood. This lady had the same problem, and she was abandoned by the doctors and she became very, very weak (and) fragile.

 Almost she hated to live, as she thought she was a burden to her family. When she (she is Hindu) heard that the woman had 12 years of issue of blood problem, she turned the volume high and was listening. After the message when you prayed, she without her knowledge knelt down and (was) shouting to Jesus for her healing.

 She said it was so powerful that she felt a touch and immediately she was cured from the problem. She is Hindu, and it is not easy for her to testify like this, but she did. She wanted me to write this to you.

 Great things are happening. Tell the church that they (are) reaching the people that they never ever (would have been) able to reach. We thank you for reaching our country and also thanks to your church and other sponsors. Please pray that we get funds to buy some more equipment to produce good quality presentation with more facilities added to the telecast.

 See you in April. Bless you.

 Love,
Velu

 I have some three dozen testimonies like this, many of which are far more dramatic in nature, and Velu told me at the time that they had at least that many more that they had not had time to translate. In at least two cases, as people were channel surfing, they reported that when they got to our broadcast the remote wouldn’t work anymore, so they just watched our program. In both of those testimonies the individuals were healed and had a life-changing encounter with Jesus.

My favorite of all the testimonies involves a young girl named Jasmine, who was suffering terribly with a brain fever. Her father testified that despite the medications the doctors were giving her, she was still in great agony. Since they were faithful watchers of our program, they brought the TV and VCR to the hospital to watch recorded episodes of the program to build their faith. He ends his testimony by saying,

“We brought the TV, VCR and played your message and we all knelt down and prayed when you started praying for the sick. As soon as we finished the prayer, we saw our daughter (had) opened her eyes and was praising. Not only that, (but) two other patients in (the) adjacent room also were healed from their illness. Thanks to you and (to) God. God bless you, Pastor, for your love for the sick people.”

 It certainly wasn’t me or our crude television production which touched those people in India. Our God is a God who does wonders, and He is working still to bring the life-changing message of the gospel to those suffering in both body and spirit. He is not far from any of us, but closer than the very air we breathe. His wonders are not merely the tokens of His power, but demonstrations of His unfailing love.

If you have need of His healing touch in your life, regardless of the need, why don’t you reach out to Him in simple faith? That’s the kind that works best – simple, child-like faith. After all, the Bible tells us that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). This moment may be God pausing your remote to give you a moment to connect with His omnipotence. He is just as ready and able to heal you where you are as anyone else in any other part of the world. Why not give Him the opportunity to bring healing to your life and heaven to your heart. His hand is stretched out still. He is only awaiting a response that He might work His wonders in you.

Dr. Randy Bunch is the pastor of West Kern Christian Center, located at 1000 6th Street in Taft, California, as well as a graduate advisor and adjunct professor at Summit Bible College in Bakersfield, California. He is the author of several books, including his new devotional, Immutable: Changeless Truth for a Changing World. For more information, or to purchase your copy, go to randylanebunch.org. For more information on the ministries of WKCC, you can go the ministry’s website at wkcconnect.org.