September 18 – When God Calls It is Supernatural
In India Sadhu Sundur Singh was born a Sikh in 1889 in Punjab, India. He originally came from a very wealthy family. As he grew up, he was an extremist who hated Christianity violently. When he was 14, his mother, whom he loved dearly died and a few months later, an elder brother died who he was very attached to. Later, he was again sent to a mission school in Rampur, where he was taught the Bible. Against his will, he found some teaching of the Bible compelling, but still was determined to oppose it and considered it a false book of the West. One day, he called some school friends and in front of them tore the Bible in half and set it on fire. A couple of days after this act, Sadhu Sundur Singh fell into deep depression and became suicidal. He wanted to take his life by throwing himself under the Ludhiana Express train if God did not reveal the way of peace to him. At 3 a.m. in the moonlight, he went to his courtyard to take the ceremonial bath done by the Hindus and Sikhs before worship. Then he prayed and waited for God to reveal himself. In half an hour, the Ludhiana train would come and Sundur Sadhu Singh would be going to fling himself under that train. Nothing seemed to happen as he waited for God to reveal himself. He sat in his room, his head down, defeated, depressed and disappointed. Then, he then lifted up his head suddenly and opened his eyes, surprised to find a faint light in the room. It was not dawn light and thinking it came from the courtyard he looked out. The courtyard was in darkness. In the meantime, the light in his room was growing brighter and then he stood amazed for he saw a radiant figure with a face of not Krishna or Buddha as he would have expected but Jesus Christ! Jesus shining said to him “Why do you persecute Me? I died for you!” Sundar Singh says later “I will never forget His glorious loving face or the words He spoke.” All the depression and confusion in Sundar Singh’s heart vanished just upon looking at Jesus and hearing His voice.
After this the next day, he openly declared to his father that he was a Christian. It was very unwelcome that Sundur Singh had become a Christian to many. Even the Christian missionary principle was uncomfortable with this news because he would face the backlash of his father. Thus, Sundur Singh was not encouraged in his belief in Jesus. However, slowly the headmaster gave in and did teach Sundar Singh the Bible secretly as Sundur Singh wanted this.
His father on finding that Sundar Singh was seriously following Christ was very concerned. An uncle of Sundur Singh took him to a cellar, opened an iron box, showed him the treasures inside and promised he would have all of it if he remained a Sikh. He even took off his turban and laid it at Sundar Singh’s feet, which was a very humbling act, but Sundar Singh did not give in. He continued in the missionary school in the hostel but soon was sad to find out that the Christian boys in the mission school were Christian in name only, having no love or relationship with Christ. He returned back home and his family were happy, thinking he was a Sikh again, but he resisted going to temples and secretly kept reading the Bible.
Finally, in an attempt to establish the veracity of his decision of his faith in Jesus, he cut his hair, which was a major step for a Sikh as they have to grow long hair, tied in a turban, after which he was regarded as an outcaste and thrown out of the home. His brother had also tried to poison him a number of times, but he miraculously survived those murderous attempts.
Finally, once he was thrown out of home, he had no one to turn to, no community, he was alone. Later, he did get some Christian friends. Sundur Singh chose a life of a sadhu, (ascetic) sharing the gospel, and accepting any food or shelter that was offered to him. He had two sets of clothes and a shawl. He crossed forests, met wild animals, which never harmed or attacked him! He was even thrown in a pit in Tibet, and encountered many dangers. In all this, he had visitations from angels and was supernaturally protected and provided for. He said when thrown of out of home “I experienced deep fellowship with my Master and it was like heaven.” This was secret of his powerful testimony, his deep walk with Christ throughout his life that gave him incredible power and peace extending to strangers. Many Christians felt he was just like Jesus. My own grandfather in Punjab, Sardar Khan, who had become a Christian, was the principle of Mission Boys School and one day, Sundar Singh came home. My mother tells me that her elder sister Flora had a kitten who was sick and dying, and she was very disturbed about the kitten. She asked Sundar Singh to pray for the kitten and the kitten got healed!
God arranged wonderful Christian friends for him who did provide for him, but Sadhu Sundar Singh lived in scarcity having no possessions and was always on the move, sharing the gospel and had no home to call his own. He kept visiting Tibet and shared the gospel with the Tibetans. On his last visit to Tibet in 1929, he never returned, his body was never found. Some Christians believe he was raptured up to Heaven because he had such a close walk with the Lord!
Rita
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