Sunday, March 16, 2003
Sunday, March 16, 2003
He said to them, "Where is your faith?" They were afraid and amazed, and said to
one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey
him?"
Then it happened. In a small church meeting, where some believers from the Principe de Paz
church had assembled for their regular worship service, the Spirit of the Lord moved in a mighty
way. There was a message followed a few moments later by an interpretation. It ran like this:
"Dig a well in the pastor's backyard. There you will find water." There was much opposition from
other churches as the deacons, elders and pastor began to dig. They thought these people were
fanatics and/or were hallucinating--especially when they saw that the pastor's backyard was on
a hill. A well would never be dug on a hill, as the water runs low. But the pastor, deacons and
elders all continued to dig. Soon one of the deacons became quite upset.
"Why is it in the pastor's backyard?" he asked. "Why couldn't it be in mine?" Another elder
thought that maybe the prophecy was biased. One deacon gave up. Another elder left. But there
still remained a group ready to press on.
Because of the drought the land was hard, so the digging progressed slowly. On the fourth day
they encountered a big boulder. It was so large they thought they had hit solid rock. The
disappointments and frustrations were intensified as another elder left the shoveling team.
But they kept digging around the boulder until finally, after two days, they were able to remove it.
As they did so, a gush of water came forth. It was rich and plenteous, and they began to drink
and drink. It was a remarkable sign for the whole town. What the miracle of the well did to the
growth of this church carries on until this day. The number of conversions to Christ was
staggering; the entire town was influenced by it. Church membership grew from a few dozen to
over nine hundred within that same year.
Was it a sign from God? What shall we say about such phenomena? For most of us, the
answer will have to be, "Who knows?" Who knows how God may choose to speak? Perhaps we
limit ourselves by our lack of faith and trust. Perhaps we limit ourselves by requiring a rational,
scientific explanation for everything. Who knows? But great things happen when we are people
of faith.
(Luke 8.25
NRSV)
In his book SIGNS AND WONDERS TODAY, Dr. Peter Wagner recounts the story of a severe
drought in the city of Santa Rosa, Guatemala, in Central America. It was 1965. People were
leaving the city. Businesses were going bankrupt. Crops were perishing. Animals were dying.
Special efforts were made to bring water in, but it was scarce everywhere. Catholics were
holding special masses. Evangelicals were holding prayer meetings. There was no rain and no
water.
Loving God, guide me and strengthen me, so that I may become a person of faith. Amen.
