Faith > Fear

Have you ever called on a miracle by faith?

This story I am about to share with you took place on Tuesday, February 12th. 

Tuesday we had an off day from ministry so as a team we decided to adventure out in the city of Quito. Long story short, Tuesday was one of the most craziest but most fun days of my life. We ended up in different situations we had not expected. We ended up in moments of “what else can go wrong today..” But yet we saw God’s hand of protection over the entire day! 

From getting lost in the city, to finding the right lunch place, to our team being lead to the wrong side of the bus terminal where we illegally hoped onto the bus terminal because we had gotten stuck between that and a bus, to half my team getting left behind on a bus, to asking locals if we were on the right buses, to bus breaking down, then ended up at the wrong equator line (yes there’s 2, but one is fake), to racing home before dark, and shielding our team against a store window on a busy walkway so we wouldn’t get pick pocketed at night while our team were ordering 2 separate Ubers with their phones. 

One of my biggest concerns of traveling in foreign countries and large cities are being out past dark where the chances of getting robbed or pickpocketed are higher. Our safety is a big concern for me. We were definitely out past dark. A part of me was worried and the other part of me I was trusting the Lord’s protection. I felt a little less worried because there are a few people on my team who have traveling experience about the same as myself or more. They seemed at peace, so I was good.

But I was more relieved when the Uber finally picked half of my team up. I got into the first car with two other teammates. One of them being my squad leader. In the beginning of the ride, we asked the driver how long it would take to get home. He said a little over an hour. That was my first concern, knowing that our Uber in the morning had only taken about 40 minutes to get us to the city. Then we noticed he was taking us on a different route that we had not recognized before. So we pulled over and made sure he had the right address. We were good…until we pulled onto a rocky/bumpy road that looked very much like our street…only to find out the driver chose the route with no traffic, thinking he could get there quicker. NOPE. But we had some time to talk to him about our faith and what we were doing here. He is catholic, a law student, and from Colombia. We had small conversations but enough to represent the gospel.

So 20 minutes into the bumpy road we asked him how much longer, and he answers 30 minutes. We laughed at the thought of it being a long bumpy dirt road and in the middle of nowhere. He was not laughing! He responds I am almost out of gas, and it’s bad. 

What!! It wasn’t funny anymore! 

We just started praying!

We just feared for our life in that moment. All these thoughts were running through my mind of what might happen if we break down. Would we have to walk in hopes of finding our way home? Would we wait there til morning? Would we wait to wave down a passing bus? Walking could be dangerous because of residents’ guard dogs. Many dogs out here are not the friendliness. They will chase and bark at you. Or even getting robbed in the dark walking home.

But instead of sharing these thoughts out loud, we chose faith in that moment. My squad leader, Lynna was sitting beside me and she began to worship in the back seat setting the atmosphere for the Lord to provide us His safety and His peace over our situation. We prayed that the Lord would create a miracle for us that night.

Two summers ago, I went on a missions trip to Nicaragua and one miracle the Lord did was at the end of the week when my team and I and 200 other missionaries were sitting on a broken plane waiting to take off in time for our connecting flights in Florida. The pilot had announced that the radar of the plane was broken and the air conditioning was not working and asked us to leave the plane. My team leader at the time stood up and prayed over the intercom that the Lord would provide us a miracle while everyone on the plane had laid their hands on it and prayed in faith. As soon as we said Amen, the plane turned on, air started working and the pilot announced that it was a miracle that the radar is fixed and we were ready for take off! Praise the Lord! 

So the other night, I prayed that I had seen the Lord’s power before my very eyes so many times in my life including the day of that plane, and prayed that he would do it again for his gas tank. While I was praying, I remembered a story in the bible where the Lord had provided enough flour and oil for a widow who only had a handful of flour and a tiny bit of oil enough to feed her and her family before they would die. Elijah had come to her, asked her for food, and delivered a promise to her from the Lord that there will always be flour and olive oil left in her containers until the Lord will send rain for crops to grow again. And the Lord did just as he promised and they continued to eat for many days. (1 Kings 17) So with sharing the bible story and the plane story, we had faith that the Lord would touch his gas tank and supply enough gas for us to get home and for him to find the closest gas station in the next hour.

Sure enough after 50 minutes of driving on the long dark rocky road, we approached our house and our host was standing outside ready to give him directions to the nearest gas station. Praise God! When we approached the house we were praising God and the driver repeated in Spanish YES GLORY TO GOD! I believe it wasn’t just a faith booster for us, but also for our driver! He knew we were praying and I’m sure he was too! 

Faith and prayer are powerful when you call on the name of Jesus. I pray and hope this story has encouraged you in your faith! I am learning the importance of prayer in so many incredible ways here on the world race and I am enjoying it. Ephesians 6: 18 “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.“