Duke Jeyaraj narrates an incident that took place in August 2011
While returning after a fruitful time of ministry in Nadiad (where I preached to 150 youth in a Methodist Church over 100 years old) in Gujarat to the Ahmedabad airport, I kissed the face of death.
To catch a 6:10 AM flight, I was travelling in a Maruti 800 in a National Highway seated in the second row right behind the driver. The driver was going at about 80 kms per hour. The time was about 4:45 AM. With my eyes closed, I was praying and praising God for the bunch of young people who came forward and gave their lives (after the first message titled, Five Solemn Facts About Salvation from the book of Galatians), their bodies to Christ (after the second message that called for sexual purity after an practical Bible exposition) in the meetings, the day before. Suddenly, the car ran over a dug-up patch in the poorly lit High Way and uncontrollably swerved to the right, wobbled violently, even as the driver desperately tried to control the vehicle in vain, only to rammed into the road divider. I guess the axle of the car had broken after the car hit the dug-up patch. For a moment, this is how my thoughts went: “Lord, I am coming home!” As a preacher who often talks and writes about sudden death, being in a situation where I could have died suddenly was an unforgettable experience – my first experience of this sort. I was ready to die. But the Lord’s time for me had not come. The front two wheels of the car I was in were up on the road divider and the car was slanted at 45 degrees. If the car had crossed the road divider and rolled over to the other side, a speeding vehicle from the other side of the High Way could have hit us. If the car had stopped on the same side of the road without going up the Road Divider, vehicles coming from behind could have hit us. But God prevented both from happening so graciously. Nothing happened to me, miraculously. Even my knees did not hit the front seat’s back! God protection upon me was so complete! You have been praying for me and the Lord according to sovereign plan and will protected me! I am grateful! The young man, the secretary of the Methodist Youth Fellowship of that part of Gujarat, who sat next to the driver had injuries to his leg. Nothing major, thankfully. The driver and the young missionary who sat next to me in the back seat, did not have any injury too. Within minutes of this happening, another car slowed down. The two young men in the car, helped us get our car which was now stuck on the road divider. They helped us start our car again before leaving. I thanked them profusely and gave them a Gospel tract. But the car we were in, did not run too long after that. So, I had to catch an auto to go to the Ahmedabad airport. I was late for my direct flight to Hyderabad by a few minutes and consequently missed it. But the organisers were very kind to organise another ticket for me to fly back to Hyderabad via Mumbai safely the same day. God is good!
Note: You can listen to the three messages I preached during this trip here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYesLor8O1o (message 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhX2lpgOpOI (message 2)
message 3 is found below:
