Faith And The Love Of God

I thought I would share a little miracle. 

A few years ago we were living on a small acreage outside of a little village.  It was a beautiful little location, and was ideal for raising a family.  On this acreage we got our water from a shallow well on the edge of the property.  The well had the best water in the entire county and the older generation of locals often commented on it.  Then one spring something went terribly wrong! 

At first the water began to have a slight odour, which continued to get worse day by day.  Soon, the water even began to taste bad.  In fact it got so bad that even the farm animals would not drink it if they had a choice.  Something had to be done, but we didn’t know what to do.  So we went out to the well and opened it up, shone the flashlight in and I got a terrible sick feeling in the pit of my stomach! 

The surface of the well water was covered in rats.  They were dead and rotting.  It was disgusting! And the smell!! 

We fished all the carcasses out of the well.  At least all we could get, because some of the bodies were so rotten that they just fell apart and dissolved into the water.  It was nasty! 

Then we tried several different methods to clean the well.  We drained it, bleached it, treated it with whatever chemical stuff they sell, but nothing worked. 

A couple of weeks later, when we had exhausted all other avenues, we went to the Lord in prayer.  Of course we had been praying all along, but this time we were desperate for help and direction.  And finally humble enough that we could at last hear the answer. 

The story of Elisha cleansing the well came into my mind.  It seemed like a huge leap of faith for me.  I mean to do a miracle of that magnitude seemed way too far out of reach.  But I decided to follow the Spirit and do as I was directed.  I re-read the story from the Old Testament, gathered all the supplies I would need; a bowl, salt, etc, and when no one was looking I went out to the well.  I performed the ordinance as best as I could, with all the faith that I could muster, then went back into the house to test the water. 

I failed! 

The water was drinkable again, but still tasted horrible.  The smell was perhaps slightly less strong, but …

I knew that I was just kidding myself.  I had failed.  What kind of miracle only worked half-way?  I was so ashamed.  I was ashamed to tell my children.  I was ashamed to face my wife.  And most of all, I was ashamed to even face the Lord.  I felt as though I failed Him. 

I fell to prayer.  What else could I do?  I apologized for failing and begged what to do.  What did I do wrong?  I followed the promptings, didn’t I?  Then the Spirit revealed it to me.  I failed because I feared.  I had snuck out when no one was looking.  I wanted to perform the ordinance in secret because I was afraid to fail in front of my children.  But that is not what the Lord wanted.  He wanted everyone to see.  He wanted all His children to see His love for them.  I asked Heavenly Father what I should do, and I was told to do the ordinance again, this time in front of my children. 

So I went to my family and confessed.  I told them that I prayed about what to do about the poisoned water in the well, and how I got the answer to perform the same ordinance that Elisha performed.  I also told them how I feared, and how I failed.  I confessed everything, and repented.  I told them the story of Elisha cleansing the well, then we gathered up the required ingredients, and the older children and I headed out to the well. 

The children were so excited to see the glory of the Lord performing a miracle just for them.  I, on the other hand, was terrified.  The more excited the children were, the more afraid I became.  What if I failed again?  What would that do to their faith?  Would they ever believe me again when I teach them about Heavenly Father?  Would my children go the way of the world and I lose them forever?  Then, I remembered what the Lord told me before, that I failed the first time because of my fear.  So I pushed all the fear out of me and gathered all the faith I could.  We prayed together, and my faith increased.  This time I dedicated and consecrated everything that was involved.  I wanted to leave nothing out.  Then came the big moment. 

With the faith of my children, we performed the ordinance as God wanted us to, and the Holy Spirit bore witness.  Then excitedly we went into the house to test the water. 

The water flowed clear.  We didn’t even have to run the system to clear it out.  It flowed clear from the moment we turned it on.  The smell, also, was completely gone!  Nothing, not even the slightest odour remained.  And best of all the water tasted great!! 

It wasn’t long after that we had another addition to the family.  And there in that county it is required to have all wells tested when a new baby is born.  And our well passed with flying colours!  Not a thing wrong with it.  And we had the certificate to prove it. 

Our Heavenly Father had shown forth His great love for us.  His tender care had certainly increased our faith in Him.  We were renewed.  Our faith in Him was renewed and strengthened.  May Glory and Honour be to His Name forever!! 

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