When World War II erupted and the missionaries in the southwest mountains of Ethiopia were forced to leave, they left a church of only 48 believers. But during five years of foreign occupation the Ethiopian church grew to 10,000!
The Christians among the Wallamo people had been horribly persecuted for proclaiming God's message, but their congregation had grown to more than a thousand. The government forced them to tear down their precious church building, which they had built with much sacrifice.
Later, they dared to rebuild their church building. Consequently, several of the church leaders were taken to the marketplace, stripped, beaten and thrown into jail.
One day, while a group of the believers in the prison were praying and singing together, a terrible thunderstorm came up. The wind blew with such incredible force that the roof of the prison was torn off. The rain poured down on the exposed mud walls causing them to crumble and melt away. The prisoners were free!
Many of the non-Christian prisoners fled. The terrified jailers were convinced that the storm was God's intervention on behalf of the Christian prisoners, so they came and pled with them to pray that God would withhold His anger. When the storm subsided they released the Christians.
Of course, not every person imprisoned for his faith is miraculously freed, but just like the time that Paul and Silas were jailed for their faith in Philippi, this incident shows that God is still at work. He never changes! You can count on Him!
Your View of God Really Matters ...
Are you facing a situation from which there seems no human way out? Call upon the God who never changes. He is just as capable of helping you today as He was when Paul and Silas were imprisoned 2,000 years ago. (If you don't know the story of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail, read Acts 16:11-40)
Learn more about God’s character at Discover God, by Bright Media Foundation, an affiliate of Cru.
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