Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper
time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
John Patton, missionary in the New Hebrides in the
mid-nineteenth century, concentrated all of his efforts on demonstrating God's
love to the natives. His initial efforts weren't overly successful, however.
The islanders had their own gods. They didn't think they needed another one,
and as a result, John was often ridiculed.
While ministering to the people on the Island of Aniwa,
John noticed that several of its inhabitants suffered from a form of
elephantiasis. Wondering why, he began to realize that the climate on this
particular island was different from the others. Aniwa didn't have the tall
hills of the other, more mountainous islands, and without the hills, there was
nothing to attract clouds during the non-rainy season. During the rainy season,
from December to April, rain was abundant enough, but the rain water quickly
disappeared into the porous soil. Because of this, there were no rivers and no
lakes on Aniwa, and when the rainy season was over, freshwater was in short
supply.
As time went on, God began speaking to John about digging
a well. When he approached chief Namakei and one of his friends about the
plans, the chiefs looked at him with bewilderment. Then they started to laugh.
"Freshwater only comes from the sky!" was their credulous response.
"Dirt cannot produce water!" They then requested that John NOT spread
such foolish ideas among their people. They claimed that if he did, the people
would stop believing anything he said.
Despite the opposition, John started to dig a well near
his mission house. Some locals helped him at first, but when one wall of the
well collapsed at just twelve feet, they all abandoned the project.
This didn't deter John however, and he continued to dig
by himself. He designed a creative block-and-pulley system that would allow him
to raise a bucket filled with dirt out of the hole, where one of the native
teachers could then dump it on the ground outside.
John worked feverishly for weeks on this project, until
he finally reached a depth of about thirty feet. Here he noticed that the earth
was a bit damp. That evening, filled with the confidence that can only come
from the Holy Spirit, John approached the chiefs. "Tomorrow God will give
us water from that hole," he declared. It didn't matter to him that the
chiefs dismissed his comment.
The next morning, as he was preparing to continue the
dig, John sank about two feet through a narrow hole in the center of the well.
Immediately, water began gurgling up to fill the hole. John tasted the water.
It was brackish, but it was definitely drinkable! "Come see the rain that
God has provided us through the earth!" he called out excitedly.
The natives were skeptical, but when John let them taste
the earth-given water, they couldn't believe their eyes. "Wonderful are
the works of your God!" exclaimed Chief Namakei. "No gods of Aniwa
have ever helped us in any way. Since you came to our island, the world has
turned upside down!"
But the chief suddenly had a new concern: What if John
kept the water for himself? "Will you share that water with us or is it
all for you and your family?" he asked.
John laughed: "This water is available to
anyone," he answered. "Come and take as much as you want. I believe
there will always be plenty for us, and the more we use it, the fresher it will
become. This is the way with many of the God-given gifts, and for this we
praise His name!"
Shortly after that, chief Namakie forsook all of his gods
and declared himself a follower of Jehovah. He then encouraged all of his
people to do the same. In the weeks that followed, many islanders came to the
Lord. They brought their idols and piled them up on a heap just outside of
John's house, and from that point on, meetings to worship God attracted large
crowds. Families in Aniwa began to have morning and evening worship, and
eventually, every islander became a worshipper of the only true God. Is it any
wonder that crime became a thing of minor concern on the island?
What started out as a crazy idea became the catalyst for
the conversion of all the Aniwans. John depended on God's Spirit for guidance,
and when he received instruction, he acted upon it. We have the same choice to
make. Sometimes we wonder how we can witness to our family. We may have been
burned several times trying to do so and may have decided to not bother them
with this any longer. John could have decided to do the same, but he didn't.
Instead he began to rely more and more on divine guidance.
Only God can bring about a miracle of repentance. Will
you give up, or, like John Patton, will you persevere?
Dear Lord, we pray that we would have the perseverance to
do the things that You would have for us to do. Help our ears be open to Your
words. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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