Chapter Five
My Srength
How can we prove His strength day by day and month by month throughout our life-time for our physical and spiritual need? I thanks God He has become my strength and taught me to claim His strength for any need, at any time. First of all He became my living Savior by forgiving my sins. When He uncovered my sins I repented I said, “Lord, tell me is there any hope for a sinner like me? No doubt I have done all these shameful things. I do confess my sins. I am sorry for them.” Then I heard a voice. “This is My body broken for you; this is My blood shed for the remission of you sins.” These words were entirely new to me. So I said, Lord these words are beyond my understanding I believe them. And I believe that His body was broken for me and His blood was shed for the remission of my sins. Then a voice came to me, “Go my son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” I was changed completely. Heavenly joy filled my soul. I began to feel God’s presence. I read the whole Bible in six weeks.
In the early days of my Christian life while I was in America I had to go through poverty. Before my conversion I had money in two banks. I never knew what it was to be without money. At that time my father was involved in a High Court case. I never knew that I sent many letters and cables but got no reply. I had to look for a job. I decided that I would never beg for money nor borrow. I knew if I started begging or borrowing after such a conversion. It would bring shame to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I knew that my father and my mother never like me begging for food from my neighbors or relations. God’s Word also says in Rom 13:8. “Owe no man anything except love” In those days there was unemployment problem. Many thousands lost their jobs and they had to go house to house selling biscuits and cakes to earn money for their living. So I looked for a job but no vacancies. I decided to take any job however low it might be, but not to beg. I had no food. If anybody felt interested in India he would take me over a cup of tea to have a talk about India. That used to be my whole day’s food. But in all those days I could feel new strength given to me for every situation.
Sometimes if we do not have proper meals for two or three days we get headache, backache, and we become weak. In these days, if people do not have a cup of tea they miserable. Never I felt hungry or thirsty. Only I prayed thus, “To my surprise He gave me strength. Such a strength never comes by any food. After much enquiry and searching. I got a job of cook. I had to prepare food for more than 700 people. I had to stand at the over for about seven hours at a stretch. I knew that if I go by own strength, I could not do it. I went praying all the time “Lord, for Thy glory hold my hand, I do not know how much salt, how much pepper to put in…” I went on praying and putting the ingredients. I never spoiled the food, even though I never did it before in India. The Lord gave me strength, he gave me wisdom.
When I began the Gospel work in Karachi in 1933, I had to walk many miles everyday, giving out the gospels, I never knew whether I would get morning meal or afternoon meal. The Lord told me that I should never tell any of my needs to anybody by any means; neither by a letter nor by a sign nor by any other means. Yet they were happy days. I could prove His strength. I walked many miles without food; but never was there a murmuring thought! I tell it for God’s glory as a testimony. We can say, “He is my Strength.” In every physical weakness we can prove it. In many situations I proved it. Once at midnight I had a knock at my door. I got up and opened the door and saw a man. He said, “Brother, excuse me for coming so late. I had a dream; somebody told me; “Go to Bro. Bakht Singh and ask him about his food. So I got up and went into kitchen. There was one plate of rice and curry left after the evening meals. Please tell me did you have any food today?” I said to him, “Let me think about it. Yes I had no food the whole day. But I never felt hungry. I was quite happy.”
God does give strength for every physical weakness. Sometimes we had to walk 20 to 30 miles and He gave us strength. I do not know how it happened. But we felt no sense of physical tiredness. The same things is observed during the holy convocations. Some people get rest only for one or two hours. But they are very fresh; they never murmur. Others sleep for seven or eight hours; they murmur. If they are awakened in the morning they get angry. But they can prove God’s strength. God takes us through all situations. He is sufficient in all our needs.
In 1938 before we had a Gospel-campaign in South India, the Lord burdened us to have all night prayer meetings for 19 days. Many said to me, “How can we pray whole night and work day time?” Many God fearing people also said, “It is impossible to pray whole night; we will go away” After a few days we conveyed to them that God wanted us to have all night prayer meetings. They said, “ We are old people, do not expect us to come.” And for 19 days we went on praying whole nights. We had morning meetings evening meetings and all night prayer meetings. We had hardly two hours sleep. But nobody fell sick or weak or tired. Afterwards we saw God working mightily in many parts of India; but before that we had to have extra strength for all night prayer. And God gave us strength.
Some years ago some of us went to Assam for meetings. A few men who lived in high mountains came there from far off places. They begged me for meetings for one or two nights. I agreed after praying to reach that place we had to climb very steep mountains all the night without food, We had to cross a very dangerous bridge with only a log of wood. After a long walk our feet were with blisters and legs were aching. When we reached the destination they told us that people were waiting for the meetings for four hours and so food would be served the next day. We prayed the Lord to give strength and He gave us His strength. It was a wonderful meeting, I had entirely forgotten the weakness. The Lord gave His word, and liberty And He broke many hearts. This happened to us many times. We have to claim by faith, the Lord’s extra strength. All these lessons are never learnt by reading a book or by any other method. That is how God becomes more real to us. We can call upon Him for His strength at any time, in any place in any situation. He is a faithful God. He is wonder working God. He tell “prove me now.” “You call unto Me and I will answer.”
If you find your burden heavy, claim His extra strength by faith. It may be your personal burden, or family burden or any other burden the Lord will roll away all your burdens. You will see God’s power coming into you in a new way.
But first of all He must become your personal living Savior. Do not remain in false experiences; have living experiences. These days the dentists make very nice, clear shining, white teeth but they are the part of the body. Night time the teeth say, “Please takes us out.” No doubt they are some what useful. But they are not the part of you. Your physical life does not flow into them. We must have a personal, real experience of the living Savior not like the false teeth. Can you say sincerely and truthfully. “Yes He is my Savior, my Strength?” May out loving God make these words your experience!