I went to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last October and recently I have been thinking over my time spent there. One specific day in particular still remains at the forefront of my mind. It was a day when I went to a healing service where I saw the miraculous taking place.
I went to this healing service feeling slightly nervous. I was expecting great things because what i have seen of the Ethiopian way is so close to Jesus' way. They expect the miraculous and get the miraculous. When I was approaching the church (which was undergoing building work that wasn't fully funded yet-talk about trusting God for finances!) with the rest of the group I had gone over with, it sounded like a football stadium. The noise was immense and it began to stir up something within me I hadn't really felt before. I wanted to go, yet also wanted to turn back around and go back to our guesthouse.
When we arrived we were given the best seats. We didn't really want this because we wanted to observe from the back. That way we could see everything that was happening. Even so, they treated us like royalty so it would have been incredibly rude to refuse these seats. We listened to the talk on King David and the anointing God gave him through our translator and then, it all began happening.
Holy Spirit descending
It was obvious that the Holy Spirit was falling on people. People were praying in tongues and falling down in the Spirit. I and the rest of the group experienced it too. Up until now this wasn't anything necessarily surprising as it happens here in England, but personally this had not happened to me before. I experienced a miracle when I began hearing the speaker talking in English. He in fact wasn't, as the translator kept translating and the rest of the group heard no different. God gave me ears to hear in a language I could fully understand for myself without the aid of somebody to translate it!
Physical healing
People then were being brought forward for healing. I saw the deaf begin to hear, the mute begin to speak, the blind see and the lame walk! It was truly amazing. Many people were healed right in front of my eyes. Two of the girls with me were healed right there and then of asthma! Hospitals all over Ethiopia had sent patients to be healed of cancer and other diseases because they could not medically be treated. Women who couldn't have children were prayed over and those with other unseen problems too. It was truly amazing.
The atmosphere was electric. People experienced deliverance too. People were set free from the devil's effect on their lives. It was an experience that cannot be denied.
Undeniable
I saw these things happen with my own eyes. My own words just cannot bring the experience justice. God was among us and a little bit of His power was brought to this earth. Nobody can tell me it was false. Nobody can tell me I am mad. Jesus is a miracle worker! But you know what; the same God I met with in Ethiopia is the same God here in England. He is the same yesterday, today and forever, all across the earth and the rest of this universe. Those same miracles I saw in Addis Ababa can happen here. The difference here is that we do not walk in expectancy or belief. We have been brought up in a culture where God is not only answer for everything. We have science and material things. We can choose what we want in this life. Over there they only have Jesus. We must have the heart to believe and receive. It takes faith. It takes trust. Jesus can do it! He did it in the Bible and He can still do it now!
Unbelief
I am not saying that there is nobody here that does not believe because there are so many wonderful things going on in people's lives. People are being healed and set free and living for God. Yet why do we also place our belief in other things; money, power, status…….?
God is a supernatural God - He works outside of our human capabilities. He isn't restricted to our five senses or to what our bodies can do because when we allow his spirit to move in us he does things that cannot be explained by science or logic. He is wonderful and wants to bless us!
Exodus 15:11 - Lord, no other Gods compare with you - Majestic and Holy! Fearsome and Glorious! Miracle Worker!
How true is that? If God says He can heal then He can. If God says He can save you then He can. It is written in His word and His word is truth. God cannot lie. If He says it we must believe it. He is a Miracle Worker! Go ahead and believe it! Then we can receive it! Amen!
