In January 2004, a miraculous healing took place in British Columbia, Canada that was broadcast in major newspapers across Canada from the Toronto-based National Post in the East to the Victoria-times Colonist in the West.

Through a series of circumstances, God became involved because Christians took a risk resulting in a powerful miracle that stunned all involved. 

Li Peng was a 19 year old boy from China attending university in British Columbia, Canada. On January 8, 2004 friends found Li Peng lying motionless at the bottom of his swimming pool in the apartment complex where he lived in Saanich, BC.

They immediately pulled him out and rushed him to the hospital.

The doctors looked at Li Peng and due to time he spent under water expected him to die and even if he did recover, live the rest of his life as a vegetable.

Dr Alan Meakes – the attending doctor — described Li Peng’s situation as “nonsurvivable.”  His body temperature and blood pressure were going down and his heart rate was declining.

When Li Peng’s father Li  Shao Zeng heard of the accident, he flew in from China to be at his son’s side. During the week following the accident, medical staff considered stopping all care and letting the inevitable happen.

Then Lily Chow showed up. She knew Li Peng, because he was one of her students at the University of Victoria’s English Centre where she taught.

However, Li Peng’s father spoke Mandarin, and Lily — who spoke only Cantonese — had difficulty communicating with him. But Lily remembered the pastor of a Pentecostal Chinese church she formerly attended spoke Mandarin. Lily asked Li Peng’s father if he would like to talk to this pastor.

When Pastor Laurence Wan came to visit, he asked if he could pray for the healing of Li Shao Zeng’s son. Wan prayed but nothing happened.

The next day, Pastor Wan shared Li Peng’s plight with a group of Mandarin Christian students at the University of Victoria. One of the students asked if she could take up an evangelist to pray for Li Peng.

Despite his previous unsuccessful attempt, the next day Pastor Wan took the two women to visit Li Peng. Wan did not let his previous failure stop him from trying again. This time following the instruction of James 5:14, 15, they anointed Li Peng with oil and prayed.

Though nothing happened immediately, a few hours later, Li Peng opened his eyes for the first time since the accident and miraculously regained his ability to walk, speak and write.

Li Peng can’t remember the details of that day, but says, “I believe in God, I believe Jesus saved my life.” He returned to the water once more, this time to be baptized.

Dr Meakes said in his 20-year practise he had never seen anything like this. He said, “And, in the time that he was prayed for, this patient made a major demonstrable change in condition.”

“I probably would have said this is a non-survivable situation,” said Meakes. “Certainly, that’s how my colleagues felt. I think it is fair to say that nursing and medical expectations for Li Peng were death or a vegetative state.”

“We have no natural way of being able to understand why Li Peng gained what he did,” said another doctor.

God wants you to take risks

I believe God is encouraging believers to step out of our comfort zone and under the anointing of the Holy Spirit take our spiritual gifts to the world. We need to set aside our fear of failure and specifically our fear of embarrassment and use our gifts to expand the Kingdom of God.

Sources:

• Man credits prayer for saving his life by Lindsay Kines (National Post: August 19, 2004)