By Dr Edward Tamale-Sali
Have you ever been in a situation where all your expected resources have run out before the job is done, and wondered what next?
Examples
1-You budget to buy a house at $100,000, but due to circumstances like market forces, the house you have been praying for is now $150,000. What do you do?
2-You invited 100 people at your wedding, but 200 turn up. Since you can’t send them back, how do you serve the overwhelming numbers with the limited resources?
3-You are sick and you expected the surgical operation to cost $500, but due to unexpected complications the bill comes at $5,000 and you are in a foreign country. What happens next?
While such are things some of us can only imagine, they are realities of life to others. For instance, the Bible records one such critical moment at a wedding at Cana.
Wedding functions in the old Israel days were by invitation only. This is still the custom in most countries, including Uganda. It is almost impossible to attend a wedding ceremony without invitation.
At the wedding at Cana, one of the guests was Jesus Christ. Seemingly, however, there were uninvited guests who affected the budget.
It did not take long for the organisers to realise the scarcity of wine.
When the host realized this, he started thinking where he could get more wine because everybody was asking for a drink.
The pressure was mounting on the hosts and the function was soon becoming a disappointment.
Probably, the host knew about Jesus’ ability towards solving such conundrum.
Having lived together in the same village, the host might have believed Jesus to be either a prophet or someone with God’s anointing.
Meanwhile, he approached Jesus’ mother and narrated the problem.
Mary knew her son could help save the day. However, she was adamant about it. She told him: “Just do whatever he tells you to do.”
First miracle
Jesus changed water into wine. The chemical structure of water is H2O.
He added a carbon atom to make non-alcoholic wine (H2C5OH). “What do you have in the house?”
Jesus must have asked, just like God asked Moses: “What do you have in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2).
When Jesus asked, they showed him potfuls of water which He turned into wine (John 2:1-11).
Lesson
The same could happen to each one of us in time of great need.
We must remember there is only one solution – Jesus Christ. Here is what to do in such times of need:
1-Go to Jesus; He can turn your mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11-12).
2-You need to ask Him. If Jesus’ mother had not ask, I believe no miracle would have happened. This is how God operates. Jesus said: “Ask and you shall receive” (Mathew 7:7).
3-Always remember that with Him, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).
My personal miracle
In 2001, I realised I could run out of my job abruptly because of increasing tension between myself and my medical colleagues who wanted my position.
I had pioneered In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment in that particular hospital in the Middle East.
The situation became so intense that I compared it with the Bible story of Queen Esther and Mordecai.
God had to intervene for my survival, otherwise I was done. I dedicated an hour to prayer from 3pm to 4pm daily after work.
God showed me it was time I returned to Uganda. But I asked God how I would return to Uganda where I didn’t have a house.
Previously, I had started constructing a house but the builders stole the materials and raised a substandard structure that crumbled.
I told God I did not want to return to the UK either. I needed $150,000 to start an IVF centre in Uganda if I were to return.
But I had no structure and money to purchase the necessary equipment.
Meanwhile, it was evident I was going to lose my job. I wrote to all pharmaceutical companies I knew to help me, but all turned me down.
Only one company gave me a person in Denmark to talk to.
My journey to Denmark
While I was looking for money to buy air ticket, I got a call from a family friend.
She told me: “Dr Sali, I have seen your name on the list in the supermarket that you have won $5,000.”
I rushed to this supermarket which was 2km from our house. I learnt they had entered my name in their monthly draw and I was in second place for that particular prize.
I was told since I was in the second place, I could only get that money if the person in first place never showed up.
I had to wait for 39 days until they confirmed the first winner wouldn’t turn up. After 30 days, I went back and found the first-placed winner did not turn up.
The money was given to me! God miraculously met my needs; I paid for my air ticket to Denmark.
It is through this that I got all the equipment to start IVF in Uganda.
This is an amazing miracle story which I will continue next time in this paper. Full details will be in my autobiography.
This is the God we serve.
