Sadhu Sundar Singh’s ecstasies

Sadhu Sunder Singh went worldwide, giving testimony of the life-transforming encounter with Jesus Christ on 18th December 1904. The encounter brought the realization that the life of the faith was more than just a rational understanding of truth and dogma. The Sadhu preached not so much with words but with his life of following in the footsteps of Jesus. His testimony and preaching sound true only because they were clothed with suffering, tears, sweat, and sometimes with the blood he shed because people beat him, yet he joyfully prayed to God to forgive them.
The Sadhu challenged, provoked and called people to repentance and holy living. As the preacher of the gospel and a prophet, he could see something that includes but goes beyond this reality, something that is not visible but is here. He narrated his experiences of the inner vision of God.
The Sadhu experienced a state of ecstasy, and it gave his experience and teaching a new significance. His ecstasies occurred frequently, often as many as ten times a month. In the visions he saw during his ecstasy, Christ was always in the centre, radiant with beauty and smiling sweetly and lovingly. Around the throne of Christ were multitudes of saints and angels. In his visions, The Sadhu talked with these spiritual beings and placed the problems troubling him before them. They were immediately solved for him. The Sadhu said that many of the thoughts and illustrations which he used were given to him while in a state of ecstasy. Resurrection, Judgment, Heaven and Hell were the main themes of his visions. He was also convinced that in his ecstasy, his thought was clearer and more intense than in his normal life. While in a state of ecstasy, he was not aware of the outer world. He forgot about his food. He did not notice the passage of time. Do you desire to experience God’s presence, even in ecstatic experiences, fully?