Two Journeys, One Sovereign God

Jerusha and James Lukose

Jerusha's Story

I was born in a Bible-believing Christian home. My parents were full-time missionaries in India. In 1947 a Christian revival started during India’s fight for national independence. With many missionaries from Europe and the U.S. returning to their home countries, my parents—new believers in Christ from a Hindu and a nominal Christian background—stepped out in faith to serve the Lord. For their spiritual convictions, they were disowned by their parents and families.

I was born and raised in an environment of complete trust in the Lord to provide, protect and guide us for every need. The church that my parents served was made up of believers from Hindu, Muslim and various other religious backgrounds, many who were also disowned and persecuted for their faith. This was my first glimpse of a first-century type of fellowship described in the Book of Acts.

I grew up in a community devoted to numerous church activities, such as weekly prayer meetings, fasting and prayer, lengthy Sunday worship services, love feasts, Bible studies, youth meetings, gospel outreaches, etc. I had heard the gospel many times. However, one day during a vacation Bible school class my leader expressed the message of the cross and what Christ had done for me. I was deeply convicted of my sins and in a personal way realized that I was a sinner and needed to be reconciled to God. I needed Jesus Christ to forgive and cleanse me. Being a part of the church and even a pastor’s daughter was not enough to save me. I knew then I was saved, and a couple of years later I was baptized.

My walk with the Lord was steady thereafter. I was learning the things of God and had a great desire to read God’s Word, devotionals and missionary stories. My mom and I prayed about many matters together.

During college, the Lord brought a young man to our church fellowship who was initially interested in me. He was also seeking to know and understand the faith. During one of his interactions with a church elder, James heard the gospel and came to a saving knowledge of Christ. My parents and the elders of the church had been praying for the Lord’s will to be clear regarding James and me, and eventually, we were married in 1983.

The Lord blessed us with our first son in 1984. Jasper was born with a congenital deformity. As a young married couple, we had no knowledge or understanding of his medical condition. With his birth, our faith journey took a drastic turn to one now full of unknowns, fear and doubts. I regularly fell apart crying out in despair, at times fighting with the Lord asking him why. Why had he allowed this? Was this some type of punishment for a sin? What was he trying to teach us?

I felt lost and in a daze. I felt like I was spiritually going through the motions. I lost interest in church activities. Many times, I did not want to be in church where my friends and other families had healthy children, all the while James and I were running to doctor’s appointments. When my husband was gone on business trips I was alone caring for the home and Jasper’s needs. God seemed so distant at times. Our son underwent a major surgery when he was eight days old. Even after the surgery he faced many health challenges.

During the early years of this health journey, I learned to pray earnestly and in desperation as we struggled to care for our son with very little help from India’s medical community. In India at the time, there was not much known about his condition. The hand of God was upon our son, and we saw many answers to prayers, many miracles, and Jasper was growing physically. We as his parents and family were growing in our walk with the Lord as we learned to call on him in our days of trouble. God answered our prayers through the decisions and unknown paths, guiding our stops and steps. Looking back, I am amazed at how the Lord overruled our foolishness and ignorance and preserved our son’s life.

After two and half years the Lord blessed us with another son, Jairus. Then in 1992 the Lord opened the door for us to come to the U.S. for Jasper’s medical treatment. At first, I was excited for the opportunity for treatment. On the other hand, my heart was gripped with fear of the unknown. I was distraught with hesitation to take the step to come to the U.S., but when I prayed, I had peace and hope. The Lord was nudging us to leave our home country, church family, comfort zones and all things familiar and step out in faith to a completely new environment, culture and unfamiliar territory.

Like Abraham’s journey as we studied this year in Women’s Bible Study, it was a huge leap of faith for us. Our church family in India prayed for us, and we stepped out in faith to move to Chicago not knowing how God was going to lead and guide. We trusted that the Lord was going before us to make our paths straight.

Growing up I had heard many stories and testimonies of God’s mighty power and work. Now my eyes have seen the wondrous ways he led our steps and stops. He opened many doors and many hearts. Our family has gone through various experiences of pain, turmoil and uncertainties over the last 29 years in the U.S., but the Lord has never let us down. He continues to help as we walk in faith, learning to trust and obey.

We desire that as a family we may be found faithful until the end, because he that has called us is faithful and he will complete what he has begun in us. We are so blessed to be part of this church family here in Wheaton, in the U.S.

Here are some lessons I have learned in my walk of faith:

• The Lord’s ways are not our ways; his thoughts are much higher than ours.

• He makes all things beautiful in his time and he does not add sorrow with it.

• According to Deuteronomy 32:11, The Lord is “like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.”

• God is good and makes all things work together for good. (Romans 8:28)

• God is faithful to keep his covenant and promises. God has fulfilled his word. “And as your days, so shall your strength be.” (Deuteronomy 33:25).

• The final lesson is that God has lifted us from despair and given us joy in our suffering. In our weakness he is our strength.

James’ Story

The journey of my Catholic faith began 62 years ago after my child baptism in the southern part of India. The journey of my salvific faith began 40 years ago in the western part of India.

I was living a wild and sinful life throughout my late teens. However, in college, I was attracted and drawn to a young lady who I wanted to marry because of her testimony and modesty. God used her as his instrument in leading me to my faith and the conviction that I was a lost sinner headed to eternal destruction. One Sunday evening in December 1981, I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and six months later I was baptized as an adult. In 1983, according to God’s sovereign plan, he gave me the desires of my heart and I married that young woman, my wife, Jerusha.

In 1984 we were blessed with our first son, Jasper, who was born with a congenital deformity. For the first eight years of his life, we ran from pillar to post looking for answers for his health needs in India. In the meantime, God blessed us with another son, Jairus, in 1986. During this time, my wife, Jerusha, stayed home as a full-time mom and God blessed my work as I held various positions in a national organization.

On one of my business trips, I was sitting in my hotel room reading the Book of Haggai. I was challenged by Haggai 1:7-8, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,’ says the Lord.” (NIV) Even though in context I did not fully understand the implications of this passage, that night was a turning point where “serving the Lord” became a priority in my life.

I also had a strong desire for formal biblical education and even thought about applying to Moody Bible Institute, but I knew that it would be next to impossible for a family of four Continued on next page to come to the U.S. to pursue higher education. However, God in his great wisdom and power made the path possible for our family to come to Chicago in 1992—primarily for the medical treatment for my oldest son.

Our pastor in India gave me the promise from Isaiah 45:1-5 as we departed for Chicago. And God fulfilled each of his promises in this Isaiah passage, including giving us the treasures of darkness through his refining work by allowing us to go through the furnace of affliction (see Isa. 48:10). Our original plan was to finish Jasper’s medical treatment and return to India in a year. But God had a different plan. Jasper went through 19 corrective surgeries in the subsequent years.

God also opened the door for me to attend Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago, where I finished my graduate degree with a master’s in biblical studies in 1998. Immediately after my graduation from Moody, I began serving as a director of two ministry divisions at Wayside Cross Ministries in Aurora. Four years later I was promoted to associate executive director and in 2011 became the executive director.

Looking back these many years and remembering the challenge and promises I received from the Book of Haggai and from Isaiah 45, I praise God for leading me to be part of building and transforming a new ministry campus in 2015 for Wayside Cross Ministries and for serving him there faithfully since 1998.

Here are some lessons I have learned along the way.

• God is sovereign: “There is no maverick molecule in the universe.” RC Sproul

• Evil is ordained by God, but he is not the author of evil. “Evil is not from his character but from his purpose.” (Sproul)

• “We should never call evil good or good evil, but it is good that God allowed evil for the sake of his elect.” (Genesis 50:20; Acts 2:23; Romans 8:28-30).

I also have two guiding Scriptures that help me in practical ways to live out this Christian life.

• Matthew 6:33 - “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (NIV)

And in all this, Micah 6:8 reminds me that “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”