“It is twelve months since we have had any rain,” cried the chief of the tribe, “it must be because our ‘gods’ are angry with us for letting the white people come to live with us.”
The crops were failing and the animals were dying of thirst in the mountainous area of Southern Sudan. Only three white people lived in this country which was about the same size as Wales.
That evening, just as it was growing dusk, one of the three missionaries looked out of her window and saw an amazing sight. The chief, with every man, woman and child, was walking slowly across the field towards the missionaries’ home! They had come to tell the missionaries the decision that had been made at the ‘public inquiry’ held a few minutes previously.
“Listen to us,” demanded the chief, “The God of the white people must send rain before twelve noon tomorrow. If He does not, then our ‘gods’ demand that the three missionaries be sacrificed.
The three missionaries went to their room that night but did not sleep. They read and re-read those parts of the Bible, which tell how God sent rain after Elijah had prayed, and how He delivered Daniel from the lion’s den and the youths from the fiery furnace. They prayed and read the Bible all night. They could not eat; they just felt they had to get right into the presence of God and plead with Him to work a wonderful miracle so that all this tribe would know that the Lord was really stronger than the ‘gods’ of the heathen people.
The Lord Jesus Christ drew very near to them as they prayed, and many of the wonderful promises in the Bible became very real to them as they searched its pages. “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee,” “Draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto thee.”
The time seemed to go far too quickly, and soon the dawn had broken and the missionaries could hear the drums beating in the village telling them that preparations were being made for a very important day. The missionaries still prayed. How often did they get up from their knees to look out of the window! How often did they go back onto their knees to ask again that rain might fall!
At about half-past eleven on the appointed day, one of the missionaries shouted excitedly, “There’s a small cloud over there!” The two other missionaries rushed to the window and oh, what joy filled their hearts as they spotted a tiny cloud away over on the horizon. How they thanked God!
It was exactly twelve noon when the rain poured down on the village and drenched the place! Every water barrel, water pot, jug, pail, bucket or anything they could get hold of was placed outside and was filled to capacity with cool refreshing water! But the amazing thing was this: two miles away there was another village nestled away among the hills, but there they had seen no rain! The rain had only fallen on the one village among the tribe where the missionaries were praying.
The chief of the tribe was very impressed with the God of the white people. From then on he often asked them to come to tell him more about God and God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Many others in this tribe were also very interested and wanted to hear more, and the chief was very willing for the missionaries to have full liberty to go where they wanted to preach the Gospel.
ML-01/09/1977