“Now this is eternal life: that they may KNOW you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3
Often when American teams come to serve with us in Kenya, they make statements like, “Wow, the Kenyans seem to know God so much more than we do. I wish I had a faith like theirs.” And it’s true – many of the Kenyans do know God in a totally different way. Throughout this summer, the question that has been stirring in my heart is: Do I really KNOW God? Do I know HIM, or do I mostly know a lot ABOUT Him? My prayer has been to see God’s face and to know Him intimately for who He really is. With all my heart, I want to know HIM. And today I got to experience a miracle in answer to this prayer.
One of the reasons the people here know God so well is that they are desperate for Him. They live in situations where they have no where to turn but Him. He is truly their only Hope. And so they come to know Him in a way that only the desperate can. Today I became one of the desperate and I met Him there as well...
As Americans, we rarely find ourselves in situations where God is our only answer and hope. If your child gets sick, yes, you can pray, but if nothing happens, you can go to your medicine cabinet, or the doctor or even hospital if needed. There are other options if God “doesn’t come through.” If you lose your job, you can almost always at least get some type of job (even if it’s at McDonalds), and if even that isn’t available, there is welfare, and as a last resort soup kitchens so at least you and your children won’t starve to death. The point is: there are options other than God to help you in your situation. If prayer doesn’t work at first, it’s not the end of the world. But here where there is no welfare, soup kitchens, or even menial jobs, families find themselves sitting in an empty hut (they don’t have a table to sit around), literally praying for God to bring manna from heaven so they don’t starve.
Today, in a small way, I understood the kind of prayers they must pray. I arrived to Nairobi this afternoon; my time in Kipkaren is over and tomorrow I fly out for Bangkok, then Thailand, and then New Zealand for the rest of my travels. I have been communicating with the friends and ministries I will be visiting in those places, but haven’t had a chance to write down all their contact info and make sure all my connections and everything are set. So I sat down at my computer this afternoon to work on all this, only to find that it was completely dead. It was totally gone – it wouldn’t even charge when plugged into the wall. I think the airline must have dropped it somehow when I was flying to Nairobi. I tried everything I could think of for ½ hour and finally gave up in tears. What was I going to do? I didn’t have a single contact number or e-mail for any of the people in Thailand or Cambodia, and didn’t even know the name of the guest house I was supposed to take a taxi to when I arrived. And the only place that info was stored was on my lifeless computer (I don’t have an e-mail that you can get to from other computers – my computer is the only place I can access my outlook from).
Completely defeated, I sank to my knees on the floor of the my room and cried out to God. Lord, you are my only hope right now – if you don’t come through, I’m going to arrive in Bangkok tomorrow with no clue where to go or how to contact anyone. I will be completely lost in a foreign country. I needed a miracle; only a miracle would do. And I as I asked for a miracle, for God to restore life to my computer, I sensed He was leading me into an opportunity to get to know Him in a totally new way. Sometimes it’s so hard to serve overseas as a single girl. I often feel vulnerable and alone with no husband to help me navigate (I have a horrible sense of direction), help make logistical arrangements (this always stresses me out), protect me, and fix things like a broken computer. Would God really come through as my “Husband” in this situation? Could I trust Him to come through for me? Is He really enough? As I prayed, He assured me that indeed He IS enough, and He IS able to care, guide, and provide for my every need.
I remembered a sermon my Dad preached here where he said, “We should get excited about problems, because you only get to witness a miracle if you start with a problem. We’ll never witness miracles without problems.” And so I began to get excited. I want to see miracles – not for the sake of the miracle, but because I want to see my God in action and truly get to know Him and His character and power. I read one of my favorite stories in 2 Chronicles 20 (read it!) and cried out with Johasaphat, “Lord, I am powerless to fight against this vast army that is attacking me. I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you.” And then I worshipped like the Israelites for the victory I knew He would bring. Worshipping, and claiming Mark 11:24 “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours,” I asked God to restore life to my computer and walked over to my computer in faith waiting to watch its lights come on. And sure enough, they DID! Tears of disbelief and joy started pouring down my face as I witnessed this miracle and watched my God come through for me. I didn’t even touch the computer- the lights just came on and it came to life right in front of me – it was amazing!
As I was crying in disbelief, God whispered, “Kierra, why are you so surprised? This was nothing. Did you really think that fixing a broken computer was too hard for me? Oh, how little you know me. Come on, next time ask me for something big. I’m so much bigger than you realize – come and know me for who I really am.”
Today I got a glimpse of the God the Kenyans know. And I can’t wait to continue on this journey of knowing Him more. It may mean more “problems” and desperate situations, but if those circumstances lead me to the King, then so be it. Anything to see His face and KNOW Him – “For this is eternal (abundant) life, that we might KNOW Him, the One true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.” John 17:3.
Often when American teams come to serve with us in Kenya, they make statements like, “Wow, the Kenyans seem to know God so much more than we do. I wish I had a faith like theirs.” And it’s true – many of the Kenyans do know God in a totally different way. Throughout this summer, the question that has been stirring in my heart is: Do I really KNOW God? Do I know HIM, or do I mostly know a lot ABOUT Him? My prayer has been to see God’s face and to know Him intimately for who He really is. With all my heart, I want to know HIM. And today I got to experience a miracle in answer to this prayer.
One of the reasons the people here know God so well is that they are desperate for Him. They live in situations where they have no where to turn but Him. He is truly their only Hope. And so they come to know Him in a way that only the desperate can. Today I became one of the desperate and I met Him there as well...
As Americans, we rarely find ourselves in situations where God is our only answer and hope. If your child gets sick, yes, you can pray, but if nothing happens, you can go to your medicine cabinet, or the doctor or even hospital if needed. There are other options if God “doesn’t come through.” If you lose your job, you can almost always at least get some type of job (even if it’s at McDonalds), and if even that isn’t available, there is welfare, and as a last resort soup kitchens so at least you and your children won’t starve to death. The point is: there are options other than God to help you in your situation. If prayer doesn’t work at first, it’s not the end of the world. But here where there is no welfare, soup kitchens, or even menial jobs, families find themselves sitting in an empty hut (they don’t have a table to sit around), literally praying for God to bring manna from heaven so they don’t starve.
Today, in a small way, I understood the kind of prayers they must pray. I arrived to Nairobi this afternoon; my time in Kipkaren is over and tomorrow I fly out for Bangkok, then Thailand, and then New Zealand for the rest of my travels. I have been communicating with the friends and ministries I will be visiting in those places, but haven’t had a chance to write down all their contact info and make sure all my connections and everything are set. So I sat down at my computer this afternoon to work on all this, only to find that it was completely dead. It was totally gone – it wouldn’t even charge when plugged into the wall. I think the airline must have dropped it somehow when I was flying to Nairobi. I tried everything I could think of for ½ hour and finally gave up in tears. What was I going to do? I didn’t have a single contact number or e-mail for any of the people in Thailand or Cambodia, and didn’t even know the name of the guest house I was supposed to take a taxi to when I arrived. And the only place that info was stored was on my lifeless computer (I don’t have an e-mail that you can get to from other computers – my computer is the only place I can access my outlook from).
Completely defeated, I sank to my knees on the floor of the my room and cried out to God. Lord, you are my only hope right now – if you don’t come through, I’m going to arrive in Bangkok tomorrow with no clue where to go or how to contact anyone. I will be completely lost in a foreign country. I needed a miracle; only a miracle would do. And I as I asked for a miracle, for God to restore life to my computer, I sensed He was leading me into an opportunity to get to know Him in a totally new way. Sometimes it’s so hard to serve overseas as a single girl. I often feel vulnerable and alone with no husband to help me navigate (I have a horrible sense of direction), help make logistical arrangements (this always stresses me out), protect me, and fix things like a broken computer. Would God really come through as my “Husband” in this situation? Could I trust Him to come through for me? Is He really enough? As I prayed, He assured me that indeed He IS enough, and He IS able to care, guide, and provide for my every need.
I remembered a sermon my Dad preached here where he said, “We should get excited about problems, because you only get to witness a miracle if you start with a problem. We’ll never witness miracles without problems.” And so I began to get excited. I want to see miracles – not for the sake of the miracle, but because I want to see my God in action and truly get to know Him and His character and power. I read one of my favorite stories in 2 Chronicles 20 (read it!) and cried out with Johasaphat, “Lord, I am powerless to fight against this vast army that is attacking me. I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you.” And then I worshipped like the Israelites for the victory I knew He would bring. Worshipping, and claiming Mark 11:24 “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours,” I asked God to restore life to my computer and walked over to my computer in faith waiting to watch its lights come on. And sure enough, they DID! Tears of disbelief and joy started pouring down my face as I witnessed this miracle and watched my God come through for me. I didn’t even touch the computer- the lights just came on and it came to life right in front of me – it was amazing!
As I was crying in disbelief, God whispered, “Kierra, why are you so surprised? This was nothing. Did you really think that fixing a broken computer was too hard for me? Oh, how little you know me. Come on, next time ask me for something big. I’m so much bigger than you realize – come and know me for who I really am.”
Today I got a glimpse of the God the Kenyans know. And I can’t wait to continue on this journey of knowing Him more. It may mean more “problems” and desperate situations, but if those circumstances lead me to the King, then so be it. Anything to see His face and KNOW Him – “For this is eternal (abundant) life, that we might KNOW Him, the One true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.” John 17:3.
posted by Kierra Higgins at 2:42 AM
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