Ravi Zacharias was 17-years-old, lying in a hospital bed in India in critical condition after attempting to die by suicide when a visitor walked into his room. His simple act would change not only Ravi's life but countless others.

Zacharias often shared how he wound up in that hospital room in his home city of Delhi, India. As a young boy he dreamed of playing cricket or tennis but was not talented enough to rise to the elite levels, and he was not a good student. As a result of his poor performance in school, his father would often beat him. Depressed and with what he viewed as no options in life, Zacharias attempted to end his life.

He had actually already made a decision to follow Jesus once. It happened after his sisters convinced him to go to a Youth For Christ rally. Sam Wolgemuth, who was the president of Youth For Christ International at the time, was the evening's speaker. At the end of the night, Zacharias was the only person to go forward and accept Christ. However, it was after this event he slipped into depression under the scrutiny of his father, and he tried to take his life.

"I wanted out of life. My life had no meaning," Zacharias has said in sharing his testimony.

A YFC worker, Fred David, came to visit Zacharias in the hospital. "A man walks in, with a little, red, Gideon's New Testament," Zacharias said.

Zacharias says that he was in such critical condition, having been dehydrated from drinking poison, that he couldn't even reach out to take the Bible. "My mother takes that Bible that he gives, and she says, 'You really can't stay here. My son is in critical condition.'"

David replied to her by saying, "Ma'am, your son needs this more than anything else." David opened the Bible to John 14 and read Jesus' words from verse 6 to him: "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'"(NIV). "And then he goes on," Zacharias says, "in verse 19 and says, 'Because I live, you also shall live.'

"I think to myself the main reason God brought me into this world was to bring that Bible to you."

It was those words, and the promise of life, that led Zacharias to truly commit his life to Christ. "The power of the Word of God to crack open this encrusted heart of a young man who never had the wisdom to open it before. And I began to pray, 'Lord, if you are the Lord of life, take me out of this hospital room. I will leave no stone unturned in my pursuit of truth."

That pursuit of truth would lead Zacharias to almost 50 years of ministry, and he preached the Good News of Jesus in over 70 countries.

David was 11 years older than Zacharias, but the two quickly became close friends. David continued ministry with YFC in India for some time, and Zacharias continued to attend his group meetings. 

In fact, it was David who called Zacharias to preach for the first time, ever.

YFC International was hosting a preaching competition in India, with thousands of young people from all over Asia attending. When the speaker representing Delhi backed out at the last minute due to university commitments, David came to Zacharias.

"I said, 'Why are you talking to me?' And he says, 'Ravi, you're going to speak this afternoon.' I said, 'Fred, I've never spoken in my life. He said, 'Look, all I've done for you, you owe me one.' He said, 'speak, this afternoon.'"

Zacharias preached a short 10-minute sermon. To his surprise, he was announced a co-winner with a tie for first place. In a second sermon to break the tie, Zacharias preached on the cross of Christ. It was the beginning of Zacharias' preaching career.

David would return to the United States where he served in various ministry rolls, both in church and para-church organizations.

Fred David and Zacharias would stay in touch the rest of David's life. The last time the two spoke was just days before David's death. David was living in California, while Zacharias was in Atlanta. Zacharias called David, hoping to come and visit. "He said, 'Rav, don't, don't, don't. You've got many other things to do,'" Zacharias says. "But here's what he said to me: 'I sit down sometimes and watch you on YouTube, and the tears run down my face and I think to myself the main reason God brought me into this world was to bring that Bible to you.'"

While Zacharias disagrees with that statement, in that David's life work for the Kingdom was more important than just one person, David said it always brought him great joy to count Zacharias as a spiritual son.

David passed away in California in 2013.