Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a man with a heart to follow God. He had a prophecy spoken over his life that one day he would stand over a dried up water source and with hands lifted up to heaven would ask for a miracle. God would grant that miracle and it would be a sign that revival was coming and that the waters of revival would spill down the mountain into the valleys and spread to the cities.
Over the next few years, every time this man entered a village he was expectant of the fulfilment of that prophecy, but nothing happened. It seemed God wanted him to empower the people through his practical skills and he and his team would begin by building relationship with the people and then work with them to find solutions.
Over many years the man began to forget about the word spoken over his life and continued working as best he could through the continued leading of God. And so the team grew and God opened new doors.
One day, more than a decade later, he found himself in a prayer battle for the small village of Huei Hia. There was significant resistance from village elders. He was told that the village was in desperate need of water, and while everything had been put in place to store the water including tanks, pipes and a water basin, there was no water and it was the middle of the dry season.
An old man watched on intently as the man stood by the empty water source. The old man had watched as the witch doctors from the village had done all they could to provide water, but had been unsuccessful, and so he wanted to see if the man who brought God into his village was any different.
No practical ideas were going to work, and the man had forgotten the words spoken so long ago. But as he began to walk away he felt the Holy Spirit speak to him and say ‘why don’t you ask God NOW’. And so he joined in prayer with his team, and with his arms raised to heaven, asked God to do what no one else could. They all went home that day with nothing to report. He still had not remembered the prophecy
Not long after they returned home they received a call from the village. ‘You won’t believe it, the tanks are overflowing with water and there has been no rain!’ The man began to tremble as the memory of the promise from many years ago came back into his mind.
Now there is a great expectation of revival among the people, and many lives are already being transformed from the mountains down into the city. And it’s not just a story, but it’s what we saw as we travelled through Thailand.
The man referred to above is the missionary we went to visit, Erik. For a more complete story of the work they are doing you can visit this link:
http://accwm.blogspot.com/2008/09/water-miracle-at-heui-hia.html
It was an amazing experience to be a part of what God is doing through them in Thailand if only for a short time and I find myself humbled to have observed their trust in God. God has given them a great vision and opened doors that would have remained closed to anyone else through, not just the work they are doing but their mental approach. I was less surprised with what they were accomplishing when I found out they have 24 hour prayer. People are booked in to pray every hour of the day, every day of the week. I was challenged by their commitment to prayer, especially since I’ve seen the power of prayer and yet I struggle to have the self-discipline to continue making it a priority every day. And I know better. When they worship, even though they are singing songs I sang in church when I was eight (‘The Joy of the Lord is My Strength’ and others) and had I heard it sung elsewhere it would have sounded stale, they bring it back to life because they believe every word as they sing. I look forward to experiencing the change the trip has inspired in me as I continue on my own journey. Hopefully I will get the chance to visit with the team again and see the continued work that God is doing in that place.
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