Lifting the Ancestral Burden

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation.” Psalm 68:19, NASB.

Living in harmony with the spirits is of utmost importance to the Mien, one of the Northern hill tribes of Thailand. One woman discovered that this can be difficult at times. Jien Wa, a 70 year old widow, lived her whole life striving to please the spirits and following the animist traditions of her people.

Now, in her old age, what appeared to her as the spirits of her husband and parents began tormenting her. The attacks continued despite the best efforts of the village witch doctor and following all the traditions she had trusted for a life time.

One night the spirits applied a strong pressure on her chest. She couldn’t breathe. In desperation, she recalled something a local believer had told her about Jesus. This Jesus had power over all spirits. Jien Wa cried out to Jesus asking him to save her. Immediately the pressure lifted!

The weeks following this miracle, Jien Wa continued to pray and learn about this powerful spirit “Jesus” who had rescued her. However, the spirits of her relatives continued to haunt her until she finally became very ill. Her leg was infected, and she was not able to walk. Without any relative to care for her, Jien Wa knew she would not live long.

Remembering Jesus once more, she called a local believer, named Meui, and asked her to pray. Jesus answered the plea of her Christian friend and her leg was miraculously healed! Experiencing God’s goodness and power over the evil spirits and physical healing caused Jien Wa to finally put her full faith in Jesus Christ! She prayed for God’s protection from evil spirits and has been free of their tormenting control ever since.

People in the village acknowledge God’s power in Jien Wa’s healing, but fear grips their hearts when they consider leaving their animistic traditions. Change is very difficult for most of the tribal peoples.

Pray that:

God will set many Mien people free as they hear the Gospel of peace.

Believers like Meui and Jien Wa will grow in grace, knowledge and power through faith in Jesus.

Jesus will reveal to the Mien that He is stronger than the spirits they fear.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.