Pastor Sudeep and his wife listened to the banging on the other side of the door, fearing for their safety. They knew it was just a matter of time before the men would break down the door.
If they could hold the intruders back just a few more minutes, perhaps there would be time for the other believers to get there and add their voices to the couple’s cries for help. Then maybe the men would run for fear of being caught.
Pastor Sudeep and his wife rent the second floor living quarters of a house in Central India. At 2:30 in the morning, just over a week ago, they were stirred from their sleep by the voice of an elderly man who lived below, calling out that someone had come for prayer. Due to the late hour and his repeated cries, Pastor Sudeep and his wife suspected danger.
They peered through their window and saw the three intruders and the elderly man with them, trembling in fear. Suddenly they noticed the knife positioned behind the elderly man’s back. The men had stolen money from the family downstairs and now were trying to break into Pastor Sudeep’s living quarters.
Thinking quickly, Pastor Sudeep phoned Balajit, a believer who lived in the area, so he could come to help. Then Pastor Sudeep and his wife repeatedly cried out an alert, “Thief!”
In their area, it is customary to shout out alerts in such situations, and others will often come out to help. Hearing their screams, the three men on the other side of the door grew very angry. This was when they began trying to break down the door.
Pastor Sudeep and his wife knew their lives were in danger and started to cry out more loudly, but their neighbors were sound asleep and did not hear them.
Having no alternative, Pastor Sudeep leaped to the ground below-a 12-foot drop. He told his wife he would jump first so he could catch her. Just as he hit the ground hard, Balajit and other believers arrived on the scene and joined Pastor Sudeep and his wife in crying out for help.
The thieves thought a large crowd had gathered and immediately fled the scene. Police are now looking for them.
By God’s grace Pastor Sudeep and his wife are doing well. Sudeep’s leg was fractured, however, and he is under doctors’ orders to rest it for a month and a half.
The believers, together with Pastor Sudeep and his wife, thank the Lord for His deliverance. Please pray for God’s continued protection for Sudeep and his wife. And pray for his quick recovery so he can soon return to the ministry responsibilities God has entrusted to him.
God has given Pastor Sudeep the privilege to plant a thriving church in the spiritually dark area where he lives—and now 120 people regularly attend! Give God thanks for His gracious intervention to spare the life of this faithful servant in His vineyard.