In the Bible, God demonstrates His power through water. Jesus turned water into wine and then walked on top of waves. He even compares Himself to water. And God still uses water as a conduit for miracles.
Shadrach Black, West Africa project coordinator for the humanitarian aid organization Baptist Global Response (BGR), recounted the miracle a beleaguered church experienced in 2017.
The church partnered with BGR to provide its village with a fresh water source. At the time, the pastor and congregation craved hope. “It’s difficult to endure in an area where you are not wanted and where you are mocked and scoffed,” Black said.
The small band of believers had suffered persecution from their surrounding community. Locals responded to the church’s message with scorn. Husbands mocked Christian wives for their faith. Black said the pastor, Adama Diallo, did his best to encourage his congregation amid the oppression.
They believed a new well could make a difference in their bleak circumstances by improving life in the community and demonstrating the ability of the Christian God to meet needs.
Desperate need
The church had placed so much faith in the BGR project that its members felt overjoyed as soon as they saw the drilling equipment arrive.
The area desperately needed fresh water. Black described the ground in the region as sandy and insufficient for farming. People barely survive, living in mud-brick homes with thatch or tin roofing. The only significant income for villages often comes from young residents who find jobs in cities and send money back to help their communities.
But prejudice seemed stronger than thirst. Instead of supporting the project, the community had given the congregation a “cursed” tract of land for the new well. Black said locals believed multiple spirits fought over that patch of dusty soil, and the supernatural struggle prevented any growth.
But the church decided to proceed anyway.
Supported by BGR funds, the drill team set up its equipment and began to work. Team members drilled to 30 meters and found only dust. Workers drilled 40 meters and still the well was dry. The team began the laborious task of packing up the equipment and moving it to another spot on the tract of land to try again.
God provided
The congregation began to despair. Christian women had to return home where unbelieving husbands mocked the failure.
“And so, the women are coming to the pastor as we’re trying to pull up the rig (and) giving these testimonies of what they’re enduring in their homes,” Black said. “And (they’re) just saying, ‘Pastor, we need this. We can’t endure without this.’”
The believers began to pray and workers began the drilling process again.
They saw signs of water before the end of the first day. On the second day, mud and water shot high in the air. God had provided.
“It was an amazing fountain of testimony to God’s power in this place,” he said. “And the celebration … of God’s provision wasn’t just one of physical relief, it was one of justification in the midst of persecution and of trial.”
Pray that more drill teams will find fresh supplies of water for thirsty communities, demonstrating Christ’s love for those who have yet to experience it. For more information on BGR wells, visit www.gobgr.org/welldigdare. (BGR)
EDITOR’S NOTE — Names changed for security reasons.
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