Mallakuta: A former atheist who embraced the Christian faith with the testimony that the power of prayer alone has saved thousands of people from the wildfire in Australia’s Mallakotta city. In an interview with BBC News, David Jeffrey, who runs a small company called ‘Wave Oasis B&B,’ described the power of a prayer that brought life back to many, including himself. Jeffrey, a fierce atheist, accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord 25 years ago.
Geoffrey, who had previously sought refuge on the seashore to escape the raging fire of the town of Mallakuta, has made great efforts to save his life. All these attempts have failed. They judged themselves to be dead within 30 seconds. But he testifies that the cry of prayer eventually resulted in God’s miraculous intervention. Jeffrey recalls, “We were in a terrible situation. It was probably daylight, but it was like dark midnight. The sound of a thousand trains could only be heard by the sound of fire.”
Geoffrey says that Jesus Christ did for them, even though it was impossible to bring the wind from the east and turn the fire back. Although wind was not predicted in the weather forecast at the time, Jeffrey and his crew believe that the God who created the wind was controlling it. Jeffrey and his group started praying again as they started moving toward the wildfires that had withdrawn from the beach. God did the second impossible for the people of Mallakuta. Miraculously, the fire broke out.
Geoffrey says he admits that it was God who set fire to the non-Christian neighbors. His renewed desire is for the world to understand that there is a God who loves and that our salvation is behind His cross. Atheist Jeffrey’s testimony is the meaning of Jesus’ phrase: “A sinner who repents will have more joy in heaven than he does about the ninety-nine righteous who do not need repentance” (Luke 15: 7).
