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You Helped a Tribal Priest Find the True God
sudden and baffl ing deaths of four family members did nothing to deter Markam from persecuting Christians. His hatred for them burned all the more intensely.
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And then, one day, he awoke with the startling symptoms of that mysterious disease that had proven so deadly to his family. Fear gripped his heart. He called upon the spirits for help, sacrifi cing chickens, goats, pigs, and other animals. All the while, his health continued to decline. The gods were silent, so he approached the magicians. They performed their magical rituals and gave him some herbal remedies. His condition only worsened—to the point his fellow priests told him he would die soon.
Feared and renowned in the area, Mayank Markam* was the chief priest of a tribal religion in South Asia. He wielded great authority, and if anyone so much as breathed a word about Jesus Christ, Markam’s anger exploded. He had Christians tied to trees and severely beaten. He chased them out of their villages. In community meetings, he threatened Christians with excommunication and physical violence. Meanwhile, one of Markam’s family members had contracted a mysterious disease and died. Another family member became ill and died. And then another…and another. The
Finally, in desperation, Markam did the unthinkable. In May 2022, he asked his family to take him to the Christians for prayer. They refused. How could they take the tribal gods’ priest to a Christian church? They later relented and hesitantly brought him to an indigenous missionary who, along with other believers, prayed for him.
For three days, Markam stayed at the church, bathed in the believers’ prayers. His illness vanished. “Now he confesses that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only true and living God,” said the leader of the indigenous ministry. “He is a believer in Christ, carrying His wonderful gospel to his people. His entire family also confessed their faith openly and joined the Lord’s fold though baptism and attend the church service regularly.”
*Name changed for security
