Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Miracles

David and I on a boda in town

A few months ago I had been riding on the back of a bodaboda (a public motorcycle) when a car came up from a side street and slammed straight into my knee. I could feel the full pressure of the car and the incredible weight as my knee was dragged through with the motion of the boda going forward and then tipping over. Instantly a mob of people came thinking that I had been seriously injured and getting ready to grab the car driver to punish him. The car had hit my knee and calf so hard that it's paint had actually rubbed off onto my jeans in big white smears (to this day I am unable to get it off) and dented the boda where my foot was. 

I got up and walked. It was truly a miracle. Other than massive bruising, I was completely unharmed yet I should have shattered my knee and crushed my leg. The entire ride home, shaking with... trauma? I am not quite sure, I kept thanking God over and over again for sparing my leg and allowing me the gift of walking. 
For the last couple of weeks in our church and bible study group we have been going over, "The Miracles of Jesus".  I have been learning a lot and have been very encouraged. In our bible study last week we were discussing the question, "Has God ever performed a miracle for you?" and every single person in the room shared a miraculous miracle that God performed for them, restoring their eyesight, miraculous healing and so forth. 

In America, if you get sick, you take medicine. If the medicine doesn't work then you go to the doctor. If the doctor is unable to help you, then you go to a specialist. In Uganda, if you get sick, you pray! Without the cushion of money, medicine and free education, Ugandans have to rely so much more on their faith to get through life. Many parents here do not have the luxury of putting their second grader in school because they cannot afford the school fees, uniform and books. Families worry about if they will have enough food to eat if the rain does not come in time and in the correct amount for their crops to grow. 

Praying to God or going to see the witchdoctor at the shrine is often the only options people feel like they have here. Spiritual warfare is right in front of everyone's faces. A battle for souls that people can practically see. And since we serve a miraculous God who is creator of the stars and the sky and everything walking under it, miracles abound. God loves his people and He takes care of them.  
I am convinced with all of the people that drive sleepy, drunk and distracted in the US that if someone were to research all drivers in the US and the total number of accidents, that they would find that statistically, many more people should get in and die in car accidents than actually do. I have always felt that God's hand of protection is over the roads there, invisible to the rest of America, but nonetheless powerful. 

I am proud to be an American, I truly am. To be honest, I feel a little insulted when I am walking down the street here in Uganda and someone calls out to me, "European!" or "Indian!" (which happens a lot for some reason) because I am very proud to be an American. God has richly blessed America. However, I think in some ways that our money and influence has made us spiritually sleepy. There is a line in a movie that says, "The greatest lie that satan ever told was to make people believe that he did not exist." I think that there is a lot of truth to that. 

In Uganda, I have seen God work miracles in so many ways. I have seen miraculous deliverance from snake bites, injuries, demon possession, and the slow but steady turning of heart from stone to flesh. As much as the devil and bad people can scare us, God is always in control. God is mighty, and we can take refuge in him. We can also count on Him to deliver us when we need it. 

Psalms 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.



Don't fall asleep.