Taarank hadn’t had much money to help out in the first place. He got by each day by carefully budgeting his life’s savings. Still, when his daughter, Ojal, made her request, Taarank couldn’t turn her down.
Ojal dreamed of buying a van for her husband so he could stop working odd jobs and start a transportation business. She couldn’t take out the loan herself, but if Taarank would do it, she promised to make monthly payments. And that’s exactly what she did—for three months.
When Ojal stopped making payments, the bank began calling, and Taarank had nothing he could say in his defense. If he paid off the loan with his own money, he would have nothing left to live on, and Ojal ignored his pleas for payment.
When the loan officer threatened to pull the money directly from his account, Taarank could only wait to lose everything.
Keeping His Word
To help him forget his problems, Taarank went for a walk. He noticed a church building alongside the road and went inside. There he met a Gospel for Asia pastor, Gabriel, and began sharing his problems.
Pastor Gabriel kindly listened and then told Taarank about the God who loved him and could take care of all his needs. After Pastor Gabriel prayed, Taarank didn’t know what to think, but he said he would keep an open heart to what Jesus might do.
The next morning, Taarank was called to the bank. As he walked there, he was full of anger, thinking about the way his daughter had betrayed him. As he approached, though, he was shocked to see Ojal talking to the loan officer.
When he met up with the two, he found out Ojal had paid back the loan in full, and the loan officer returned Taarank’s deposit.
“Thank you, Jesus!” Taarank exclaimed.
Taarank could hardly believe it, but he went back to the church to tell Pastor Gabriel how Jesus had provided. Unlike Ojal, he needed no reminders of the promise he had made the night before; he eagerly embraced Christ’s love with all his heart.
Beyond acting as a beacon of hope to the hurting, see how church buildings glorify God in Asia.
