Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
— Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (NLT)
“He’s dying! My brother’s dying,” Konime, a pastor in Papua New Guinea, told my husband and me. He was convinced his brother, Mahki, would die because, “Someone put a curse on him.”
Konime led us to a dark hut where we found Mahki lying on a mat, unable to walk and barely able to speak. “He won’t eat the food I bring him,” his wife tearfully confided.
It’s true. He is dying. And he will die unless God intervenes, we concluded.
We asked Mahki if we could pray for him. A slight lifting of his head and a nod conveyed his “Yes.”
We cried out to our heavenly Father, asking Him to intervene for Mahki. We spoke forth the words of Deuteronomy 30:19-20.
We chose life and blessing for Mahki. “Lord, cause him to also choose life over death, your blessing over the enemy’s curse,” we prayed. And we spoke a blessing over Mahki, saying, “Lord, we know you want to bless your child Mahki. And we bless him.” Last, we rebuked the curse.
Exhausted, but feeling the battle had been won, we sat quietly in expectation of what God would do. We watched with thanksgiving to our miracle-working God as Mahki slowly sat up. He looked up and gave us a weak smile. Before we left, his delighted wife brought him food and he began to eat.
A literal hands-on experience that day taught us how exceedingly powerful a curse is. We also realized in contrast that if a curse is this powerful, how much more powerful is a blessing when given in the all-powerful name of Jesus Christ!
Recently, we met Mahki’s daughter, who told us, “Shortly after you prayed for my father, he was open to receiving Jesus. My uncle, Pastor Konime, had the joy of leading his brother to the Lord and then baptizing him!”
PERSONAL REFLECTION
It took great faith for the Lovings to believe in the power of their prayers. They trusted that they had been heard and that “the battle had been won” before God ever showed signs of restoring Mahki.
In the book of John, Jesus tells us that if we believe in Him, we will do “the same works I have done, and even greater works” (John 14:12, NLT). Take some time to examine your own faith. Do you believe that the Holy Spirit has given you the power to do the same works Jesus did on earth? In what ways have you seen God faithfully bless you, and use you to bless others? What are you doing today to exercise your faith?
