Unwilling to Bow Down to Idols

Dhanishta Jode ended up homeless because of her faith.

She belongs to the congregation of Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Saroj Nanda and loves Jesus—but most of her relatives do not. They follow a religion traditional to their area.

When one of her relatives died, Jode’s husband told her to take part in a burial ritual that involved bowing down to idols. Believing it was against God’s law, Jode humbly refused, which angered her husband. He started to violently beat her.

“The eyewitnesses explained the terrible way that she was beaten up, not only by her husband but also by her in-laws,” writes a Gospel for Asia correspondent.

Following the attack, Jode’s husband and his family forced her to leave the house and warned her to never return home.

Jode, 30 years old, had no place to go for help. None of her family members, including her parents, would let her live with them because they were afraid of her husband. But the peace of Christ overwhelmed Jode as she kept trusting in Jesus, knowing He was in control of the situation.

The encouragement of Nanda and the believers helped Jode during this time, and she asked her brothers and sisters in Christ to pray she would remain faithful to Jesus until her final breath.

As they prayed for her, God graciously responded. Witnessing the harsh persecution she experienced, a group of the believers—and even some non-Christians in the village—implored her husband to understand that Jode had not done anything wrong. God answered their prayers and his heart softened.

Jode’s husband allowed her to come back. In fact, he started supporting her and encouraged her to stand strong in the midst of opposition from his family.

But even though her situation improved, Jode knew she must follow God no matter what opposition comes.

“Even if I die, I will never stop following the Lord til the end of my life,” she says.