I returned yesterday from a three week mission trip in Mindoro, a Filipino island. I was with two other church members. We were ministering to a Mangyan tribe way out in the mountains far from town. The situation was potentially dangerous. Many of the people are superstitous and fearful of white men. They ascribe the occurance of something bad to an angry god cursing them. The presence of white men is a convenient scapegoat, and their remedy could involve sacrificing them to appease the angry god.
The day after we arrived, a small child, probably less than a year old, drank a cup of the gasoline we brought for our generator. As you know, drinking gasoline can be fatal. Within 15 minutes the little girl's eyes rolled back and she stopped breathing. She went totally limp in her mother's arms and remained that way for a long time. We tried several ways to revive her but to no avail. She was dead. We prayed earnestly and the child experienced a miraculous recovery. She suffered no ill effects.
Had the child remained dead, had Jesus chose not to restore her to life, I have no doubt the tragic incident would have played out poorly for us. But Jesus answered our prayers famously and the child's death and resurrection resulted in many souls embracing Jesus as their personal Savior and Friend. The story of her miraculous recovery spread far and wide like music on angels' wings. The name of Jesus rang throughout the valley echoing off mountain tops a resounding song of joy and jubilation.
Thank you, Jesus!