(April 13, 2025) Dr Sam Selva Raj recalls God’s goodness…

F. B. Meyer has named Psalm 107:33-43 as The ‘Loving-Kindnesses of the Lord.’ 

Verse 35 is very meaningful to me— ‘He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs.’ And I share with you another of my precious Pit to Palace experiences, one where God miraculously turned a dry…  ‘desert’… in to ‘pools of water’ for me, my family and our ministry.

Ministry Base Challenge
In 1989, we were living in a rented house and conducting our church services there. Additionally, our Prayer and Counselling Centre operated from a rented building on C.N.K. Road. However, both the landlords unexpectedly ordered us to vacate their premises immediately.

At the time, my wife Jesy and I were government officials. Despite our stable employment, we lacked sufficient financial resources and human support, as most of our income was dedicated to various ministries of the Lord.

We simply didn’t have the funds to relocate our home, church, and the Echo of His Call office to another building. Moreover, there was no one to intercede on our behalf with the landlords. Our two young children, Alex and Angeline, also suffered alongside us in this difficult situation.

Mockery Doesn’t Deter
One morning, desperate for a solution, I set out on foot, wandering the streets of Chepauk for nearly two hours in search of a new place for our home, church, and office. With every step, I praised God, trusting in His provision.

Along the way, I met two house brokers and explained our urgent need. They responded bluntly: ‘No one will rent to you in this area! You pray loudly, shouting Hallelujah, and sing along with musical instruments at night. Our gods and goddesses become angry because of this, and their powers are weakened. As a result, we are suffering.’

Undeterred, I continued walking, holding on to my patience and hope. Then, I encountered a Roman Catholic brother and shared my plight with him. He listened and said, ‘Brother, there is an old house available. However, no one is willing to live there because they believe it is haunted. A previous occupant committed suicide in that house, and people fear evil spirits dwell there.

Then he added, ‘But since you are filled with the Holy Spirit and have the power to cast out such spirits, you could take the house at a very low rent.’

Miracle Brings Hope
His words brought me a sense of joy and hope. However, there was one major obstacle— I did not even have fifty rupees to pay as an advance for the rent. I returned home, knelt down, and fervently prayed to our heavenly Father.

God performed a great wonderful miracle in an incredible way! The very next day, I came across an advertisement in the daily newspaper which read: ‘Housing Development Financial Corporation, in association with the government, has introduced a scheme offering advance payments to permanent government officials for purchasing their own homes. Assistance will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.’

Magnificent God-provided Provisions
Without hesitation, I went to my office and applied immediately. Normally, it would take about five years for such an advance to be sanctioned. However, by God’s grace, I received the necessary amount in a remarkably short period. To my surprise, the scheme was withdrawn as soon as I received the funds.

With that amount, we purchased a piece of land with an old house, which became our new residence. We moved our home, church, and office into that building. Contrary to our fears, we encountered no signs of any evil presence. Rather the blessed Holy Spirit overshadowed us and our ministry… and still does!

God provided for us in a wonderful way— our church was established on the ground floor, our residence on the first floor, and our office on the second. A few years later, God enabled us to demolish the old building and construct a new one. Today, our church, office and printing press and residence all stand within this new structure.

When I retired from government service in 1994, God helped me repay the entire amount without any arrears. Now, we joyfully serve the Lord in various parts of India… based from those premises.

As another great psalm declares, ‘O, taste and see that the Lord is good!’ (Psalm 34:8). If you need  a ‘pools-of-water’ type miracle, it’s Easter this weekend and I  encourage to trust God’s word and our resurrected Saviour who loves us so much (John 3:16, Ephesians 5:2, 1John 4:19).

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Dr S Sam Selva Raj is founder of India’s National Spiritual Newspaper Echo of His Call, printed monthly in 16 languages as well as overseeing many community outreaches that bless thousands, the Chennai church, Bible colleges, and postal and online Bible correspondence/theological courses. Dr Sam broadcasts 5-minute messages in English, Tamil, Hindi and Telugu on YouTube, trusting God to provide for the costs. Links: sam@echoofhiscall.org / Renewed Hope Behind Jesus Resurrection/
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