The God of Miracles
And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. II Kings 2:8-14
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 14:12-14
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8
How many times have you prayed and nothing seemed to happen? We believe—looking toward God’s deliberate intervention, which we need so desperately. Our souls’ long to cry out with the prophet, “Where is the God of Elijah?” This is the God we need, and know, and trust.
If you have been following along in our newsletter articles, there is a definite direction it is leading into. From the Conditions of Prevailing Prayer, to Reconsidering Our Faith, and to The Baptism with the Holy Spirit; all these are leading us to a much deeper walk with our Heavenly Father, and thereby witnessing for greater power (from the Lord) in our Christian lives.
Brethren, I am growing with you in these things! Yet through the years we have witnessed the Lord moving miraculously many different times. This article is meant to be an account of divine interventions; an evidence of things not seen (God: Hebrews 11:1-6). Over time, I have already written about many of the occurrences in different articles. Please bear with me if some of these accounts are familiar to you. But this particular article is a specific compilation of many different moves the Lord has made in front of us; so it is meant to encourage your faith. You need to know that God still works miracles.
When you read all the stories regarding the miraculous in your Bible, do you believe them? Do you realize that we serve the same God as Moses, Elisha, Daniel, Peter and Paul? If you are not witnessing (or acknowledging) the miraculous touch of God in your lives, at least some of the time, the fault doesn’t lie with the Lord! We will also be looking more closely at the “cause and effect” of why miracles do or do not occur, what might hinder them, and how you can be sure they are sent from God. But for right now, it is time to get on with our program; I pray that you will be richly blessed from God’s moves of faithfulness and mercy…
The Lord has shown me much in regard to praying for the weather. Early on in my Christian walk as a teen, we were having a very rainy day. The real problem with it was that it was a hard rain; and this type of heavy rain could really wash out our driveway. It seemed to me that I could pray about this…
The time was about 5:53 p.m. I had been taught that I should pray according to my own faith when doing such things. I was a little doubtful to see an immediate end to the rain; so I prayed that it would stop by 6 p.m. I was really asking for the heavy rain to cease; I told the Lord that I wouldn’t mind the rain, if only it could be lighter (to not hurt the driveway). I was sitting in a chair, and almost immediately dozed off following the praying, waiting for the answer. I opened my eyes at 5:58 p.m., and the rain had stopped! About 45 minutes later it started again, but it was very gentle. This prayer answer was in response to a need, not merely a desire.
Another time I was at a private outdoor location, and having a much needed period of prayer. It was going splendidly, but then very dark clouds came over the hills, threatening to disrupt things—I prayed hard, asking the Lord to steer the clouds away…As those clouds continued to advance, they split in half; going on either side of me. No disruption of the time spent with my Savior! And yes; when I finally did leave, I encountered damp roads where the clouds had passed over. God had moved to deliberately preserve our time together!
Many, many are the times God has answered our prayers for rain. Summers are typically dry here, and the water supply is a great concern for crops, cattle, and people. God had blessed very well, and I can’t recall a time of failed prayer—until a particularly bad year a while back…
Often we prayed for rain that summer; and again, every time we saw something. Sometimes clouds, usually with just a smattering of rain drops, but God wanted to take us deeper…
In my devotions, I kept coming across verses which tell us that God will bless obedient service (to Himself) with timely rain; and that He withholds rain, because of disobedience (II Chronicles 6:26,27). I believed that the Lord was telling me this; that the people of our county had been in great trespass, to cause the rain to cease. The Lord then led me to intercede for our county in prayer; and He gave me the example found in Daniel 9:3-19 to follow (Please read)…
And so prayers of repentance went up; prayers for mercy. We need God to save us! For the weather, I asked the Lord to change our weather pattern; to consistently bring rain over our land. Hallelujah, it came! I can still recall the TV weatherman explaining how we were in a “rainy weather pattern,” which at the time meant a 5th straight weekend with rain! Not only was the drought lifted, but we were brought back to normal rainfall levels during the last 2 months of the year.
Then there was our community yard sale, 2 years ago. This is where home owners set up things outside for sale, that they no longer have use for. Yard sales are necessary here, so that people won’t have to pay to store a lot of useless items.
Our sale was on a Saturday. Many people were involved, but what about rain? So Jamie and I began to pray that God would hold off the rain until the sale was done. This was also a legitimate need, and it affected many people. By Saturday morning, I knew (faith; a witness of the Holy Spirit) that it wouldn’t rain…
Somehow, dark clouds still threatened as we were about to set up; even some misty-type rain came briefly. My neighbor stood next to me; speaking of the rain, and wondering if we should continue. I told him how we had entreated the Lord, and that it would not rain. God gave me the faith to say this, even while experiencing the mist! Well, it quickly became a good-weather day, all thanks to the creator of the weather. And that same God blessed us with rain later on in the day—but only well after people had closed up their sales (most yard sales run until 12 noon, then begin slowly putting things away—the rain came at about 2:10 p.m.).
The Lord showed me that He is a provider of needs. That is something you will find to be a common denominator among the great works of God—there is a need, or a purpose for what we seek. Motives are very important to the result of prayer. But God does want us to pray. Only too many times we proceed on our own in trying to “work things out” when needs arise. How can God bless you, or show you the miraculous, when you have no need for Him at all? The size of the request doesn’t matter, either! He wants it all, be it large or small (it only has size in our eyes). And even if you think it trivial, shouldn’t you want the Lord’s response? His answers are perfect; far better than the best efforts we could make.
When I was a very young Christian, I began to think about the purpose God might have in every circumstance or event. One particular day, I was riding home on my bike. I would come down a small hill, gaining speed to run up our steep driveway as far as I could. One thing I had forgotten about—we had just received a fresh load of stones! As I hit the driveway, my bike started to skid wildly; as I fought for control. All the time I was wondering why—what was the purpose of this? My answer soon came…
My struggle for control ended, with the stones winning; I felt both wheels slide out from under me. I closed my eyes while bracing for impact; still wondering why. The jolt I expected never came! While my eyes were closed, I could hear the crunch of stones moving as the bike straightened up again—I opened my eyes, and I was standing. The Lord showed me His abiding presence and protection—and answered both my spoken and unspoken request (to not fall!).
My wife also had a close call; this while driving. There are sharp turns en route to/from her house, and one particular night she was traveling this way with a large mixer to deliver to her sister. It was winter, and she hit a patch of ice on one of these sharp turns—the car didn’t quite hold on to the road…
This area has a significant embankment, which she was then stuck on. She walked to a neighbor’s home for help, to perhaps be pulled out by a tow strap. This friend has a lifelong involvement with cars, as a mechanic and salesman…He said he wouldn’t touch the car without a tow truck—he could see no reason why the car hadn’t rolled over, so precarious was the balance! He brought in a tow truck from his place of business and pulled the car out. Why didn’t the car roll over? What about the mixer right behind the driver’s seat? Only God knows what would have been the fate if the car would have rolled, and the heavy mixer right behind the driver’s seat would likely have hit Jamie’s head and caused serious injury.
No one could have seen the hand of God, or His angels hard at work. Many would deny this event to be miraculous—but why? People get accustomed to these happenings, but often call them luck.
One treacherous morning (winter), I also prayed for driving safety for all in our county; for no serious injuries. On the news that night, they documented an accident in which a truck had flipped over—experts were calling it a miracle that the driver wasn’t killed. Praise be to God, there were no deaths or serious injuries that day!
Another time, icy roads were being anticipated. A mix of rain/snow/sleet was falling, with the temperature forecasted to be about 31 degrees Fahrenheit; 32 is freezing. I asked the Lord to warm the air that day, to keep temperatures above freezing, for safety. Then as I drove about that day (on the job), I passed a number of electronic temperature displays; they always read 33 or 34 degrees!
This I would identify as an ordinary miracle (no offense to God!). What I mean is, that we believers should readily see and acknowledge God’s hand at work—but to the unbelieving it is not “spectacular.” Our lives are full of blessings and miracles, related to us through promises in God’s Word. If we walk in the Spirit, we will become more aware of the miracles we could never physically see. Some day with the Lord, I believe He will show us all the times and ways He has been there.
Even our very existence is a miracle. The smallest unit of matter is the atom. The nucleus of the atom is made up of protons and neutrons. Protons have a positive charge (electrical), but neutrons have no charge. One law of magnetism is that like charges repel—so why does the universe (and people!) hold together? Only by our God!
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Colossians 1:16,17
Please also remember, that God will lead us in prayer by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26,27). I say this because it was not within me to pray for county-wide road safety. I never did it before, so why then? God led me to do it! He wanted protection for some on that day, and placed it in my mind. We can’t think of everything in prayer, but we must trust that the Lord will lead us in the way we should proceed during prayer. Our Father thinks of everything!
We are learning to trust in God by faith, according to His Word, for our financial needs. We have had to be broken from the use of credit cards, and are only just beginning to see the limitless resources of the God who created it all!
About 18 months ago, I began working in a giant warehouse through an employment agency. They then hired me directly, but I could soon see how incredibly evil this company was. In orientation, they openly encouraged the new employees to lie about themselves, and also bashed faith in God! The rigors were also frustrating, with constant schedule changes that hindered me from fulfilling God-given priorities. I knew what choice I had to make, even without another job lined up!
So I quit mid-month, with considerable bills yet due. I asked God for His blessing, because I truly believed through the Holy Spirit that I was supposed to quit. Well, we were blessed with $700 unexpectedly from 2 sources, and our bills were paid for the month!
The next year, at almost the same time, we faced a significant bill with no foreseeable way to pay it on time. I gave it to the Lord well in advance of the due time, asking that He would not allow it to come to the last minute. We received an unexpected gift of $200, some three days before it needed to be mailed (we since have learned to pay on-line; it saves time).
Things have grown much tighter since then, as we follow God’s leading, and trust in His provision (Matthew 6:25-34). This means not using credit cards! We came to one point where we had $9 left, and some grocery needs were really pressing. But we also needed gas for the car, as Jamie was due to be working the next week. This was on a Friday; we figured to need gas by Tuesday. The next cash was a week away. What to do? I sought the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) through prayer…
The Lord told me to spend all the money on groceries that we needed, because that was first, and the gas could wait a few days. So we went out and got what we needed. Around mid-day on Saturday, a neighbor asked me to cut his grass for him—and then paid me $15 (without me asking pay)! This was enough to gas up the car for well over one week.
In the course of following Christ, I have been made the manager of our mobile home park. It answered our prayers that the Lord would open up ministry opportunities in the park, AND answered the previous manager’s prayers to get out of that position. Park managers get free lot rent, and I was appointed at just the right time—I don’t know how that bill could have been otherwise met.
Needless to say, there is really no money “laid up” toward unexpected bills—like car breakdowns. The check engine light in our car came on, and this is a problem. Sometimes it may indicate a needed repair, other times it may just need to be checked and reset. Even this most harmless scenario would cost $25, and that is a lot for us. So I prayed; that God would heal whatever was causing this light to come on. 2 days later, the light came on no more! And yes, the car seems fine. There often seems to be waiting periods for things like this. God may be teaching you to persist in prayer, or it is to test your faith, or Satan is fighting hard to hinder you (Daniel 10:2-13). Or perhaps maybe God wants you to witness to your mechanic; and then to provide for your bill in another way. These are things to seek the Lord about for any situation you personally may encounter. Having sought the Lord, our own wills submitted, the prayer for care “healing” was the right application.
Is God an auto mechanic? You can be sure of that! In times of such a need as ours, without financial resources to pay, God gladly healed the car. But yes, we need to maintain our cars (oil, filters, tires) for performance. That is using the sound mind (II Timothy 1:7) that God gave to us.
Miracles are necessary in a believer’s life; they confirm that the Lord is with us, and that His word is true. Mark 16:20 says, “And they (the disciples) went forth, and preached every where the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” The bold type and words in parentheses are mine.
We are children of Almighty God, the creator of everything—doesn’t it make sense that there will sometimes be supernatural events around us? Without the fruit of at lease some miracles, wouldn’t our testimony ring hollow?
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. I Corinthians 4:20
Since our God is the supplier of needs (Philippians 4:19), it makes sense that one of His most beloved titles is Jehovahjireh; defined as God the provider, from Genesis 22:14. I think of these accounts as God’s provision for us.
A number of years ago, my wife and I were deeply involved in a coffee house ministry. One shortfall we had there was freezer storage space. It is usually more inexpensive to buy in bulk, so this was inhibiting. So we began to consider a chest freezer for our own use, but the purchase of which would largely be used for coffee house frozen supplies. These things do cost money; so I inquired of the Lord…
Would it be possible to use one of my tithe offerings ($90) toward the purchase of this freezer? It was, after all, for a ministry. The Lord approved it, but admonished me to only use the $90 of one tithe. We were expecting to pay close to $200. Wouldn’t you know it—in a local paper we found a used freezer that was the perfect size, and almost new—for exactly $90! Isn’t God so good?
About a year ago, I made the mistake of throwing away our duster. I didn’t like the duster, but I didn’t ask my wife about it either! She really did like it, and use it; she told me these things gently; several months after the crime. Yes, I felt badly—but money was still tight…A short time later, I was driving home from a time spent in prayer and I decided to take some secondary roads. Lying in the middle of the road was a practically new duster! Apparently it had fallen from the back of a truck, while moving (so it was quite clean). God even gave me mercy for my blunder!
When you meet me, you will see that I’m clean-shaven; no beard or mustache are present. But good razor blades have been costing more and more, so they are hard to afford right now. Each blade I use typically lasts me about 2 weeks (12-15 shaves). I was greatly lamenting the beginning use of my last of the good blades—and that was some 6 weeks ago; God has been sustaining my last blade until I could find a good deal and afford it. That happened this week, and my new blades are about one-third the cost of the others; and that same old blade still gave me three more shaves!
Such things like this may or may not have been prayed for; but they are an ongoing witness of the Lord, as we walk in His blessing. God wants us to pray for everying—but He also tenderly watches out for us.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James 1:25
It is far easier to grow and live in faith, when earthly riches are not available to sustain us. Only too many times will even professing believers simply go out and purchase (from their wealth) what is needed. So don’t cringe when abundant funds are not available—it is only an opportunity for the Lord to prove Himself to you in faith.
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? James 2:5
The weather was cold, and my furnace was out of oil. This was the first home I’d lived in that relied on oil for heat (the others used electricity), so I was not in the habit of checking the gauge to see how much oil was remaining…
It took a couple days for me to “figure things out,” and arrange an oil delivery. In the meantime, I bought a small electric heater that was very good; it still works well to this day (21 years later!). When the oil did finally arrive, the furnace had to be re-started. The delivery driver told me that I would likely have to “bleed” the oil a little to get it running; otherwise it would just be pulling air, as the tank had been empty. He showed me everything I needed to know, and went on his way. For him to re-start the furnace would have been a service call, and he was not being paid for that…
Yet I really didn’t have the right tool for what needed to be done. Up to that point in my life, I had done very little of a mechanical nature. With the small pliers that I had, I simply could not loosen the nut that would bleed the oil…
Frustration was setting in fast—I did hit the button to re-start the furnace several times; but to no success. So I finally did, in desperation, what I should have done first—I prayed! All is of God’s own creation, and He is well able to supply our every need (Philippians 4:19) in terms of how things will mechanically work. Praise be to my blessed Lord Jesus Christ, who mercifully re-started that furnace! We exert so much needless effort, and allow frustration to take hold, when we should instead be relying on the unlimited power supply of our creator—things go much more easily that way!
As I have already mentioned, we currently live in a mobile home. These type homes are prone to get hot during the summer months—air conditioning (a/c) is a real necessity.
We noticed our a/c not working about 2 days before going into a time of fasting and prayer. The weather was not too uncomfortable, so I decided to wait for the time of fasting to bring the a/c before the Lord. From the very start of this “crisis” I believed that the Lord would heal our a/c; it was consistent with the way He had been leading us to depend on Him for everything. We did look at it, to see if there was any obvious problem. Then it was released in prayer…
We were in prayer and fasting from lunchtime Friday until lunchtime Sunday. Then we planned to continue in somewhat deeper prayer for the rest of Sunday; giving the a/c over in faith, believing it would come on that night as we slept…
Yet a strange thing had happened that weekend; the weather got much cooler! So much cooler, in fact, that turning on the a/c was out of the question. We then tried this course of action Tuesday night; closing up the windows, letting the fan run (Explanation; in flipping the switch to “cool,” the furnace fan would run, circulating the air through the ductwork. This was not the fan for the a/c itself). The a/c did not come on, but we were comfortable. The Lord taught us how to not depend on a/c; the weather was cool enough to be manageable, and the Lord provided 2 free window fans to help. Our month’s electric bill was also diminished $15-20 from what was expected. But we kept praying, and trying the a/c. I still knew the Lord was going to heal it—but perhaps He would wait for when there was absolute need?
The next Monday evening, the heat grew pretty uncomfortable. Was this the time? We prayed briefly, then flipped that switch again…still nothing. We left it run, praying fervently a good bit, but to no avail. It was getting difficult, but I still believed God had it in His way and time. I still slept peacefully…
In the morning during devotions I went to the Lord in prayer, asking Him about it. I was humbled by the things which He showed me—we should trust God to answer our prayers, and to meet our needs. To come before our Heavenly Father in prayer is a privilege that we have; only because of Jesus Christ, God’s son. We do not demand of God in prayer, but we should trust Him with humility (James 4:10, I Peter 5:6). While my prayer request for the a/c was good (I had searched out God’s will), I was starting to demand of God (from anxiety)—not releasing it to Him in trust. Having repented for these attitudes, I walked outside to seek God further in prayer…
Arriving at my destination, I felt led to pray in the Spirit briefly, before getting deeper into seeking God (Jeremiah 29:23). Within 30 seconds of that Spirit-led prayer, my phone rang. Jamie had called to tell me that the air conditioning was on! She didn’t know why she felt led to try it again—but I knew that by the prayer in the Spirit, God had said it was His time; and prompted Jamie to try it. But there was still more to come…
My wife and I pray regularly at mid-day. As we were in prayer, we became aware that the a/c was off again. We finished prayer time first, both of us being led to the thermostat. Jamie’s leading showed her to adjust the temperature, thereby “resetting” the a/c. It worked! But it happened again 2 hours later. The Lord reminded me then of how sometimes things/people are partially healed (Mark 8:22-25), but need further prayer to complete the work. So I submitted it to Him, asking that He complete the healing of the a/c—and there has been no glitch since then.
So why did it take 2 full weeks? Because we need to trust in the Lord by faith, not sight. We trust Him because of the promises in His Word, which are always true (II Corinthians 1:20). He wants fellowship with us, so He must teach us to persist in prayer. We must also trust His timing for the answers. God gave us cooler weather and extra fans for coping, until the answer we sought for was provided.
There are, in fact, Biblical reasons why prayers are not always answered. You will find these reasons detailed in our article, Conditions of Prevailing Prayer. Listed briefly here they are; (1) Dependence of Jesus alone as our claim for blessing; (2) Separation from all known sin; (3) Faith in God’s Word as sure promises; (4) Asking in God’s will, from pure motives; (5) Persistence and patience in asking.
Physical healing is a benefit God wishes to bestow upon His children; yet in our lives, many times the infirmity has been given to us for a specific purpose from our Father. That is to say, God is trying to direct us, correct us, or otherwise get our attention; and in such cases, healing will likely not come until the issue has been dealt with; at least in prayer. Please see Amos 3:2, I Corinthians 11:32, Hebrews 12:5-11, Revelation 3:19 to affirm this truth according to God’s Word.
In teaching me complete dependence upon Him, the Lord has allowed me to be more susceptible to poison plants. A short while ago, I had a good bit of poison on my right forearm. I simply began taking care of it, and a week later it was nearly gone…but then it just broke out, all over me! Both arms, legs, and abdomen. Some would try to analyze it, but my wife and I agreed it was time to pray. You see, when I first got the poison, I didn’t pray; I just took care of it. This is what the Lord is breaking me of; the pride of my power (Leviticus 26:29). So we committed it to the Lord, and believed Him. The bad itching went away, and the visible rash was healed over the next 10 days. The itch removal was immediate; we had prayed specifically for that, so I would not have to fight the urge to scratch, which would only spread the rash.
Even if I do get poison now, Jamie still gets it so much worse. She really swells up in the places she contacts it. Once her fingers were so swollen, she could not dress herself completely, or wash her hair. But in that desperation the Lord revealed a miracle treatment to her; Isopropyl Alcohol (AKA rubbing alcohol).
When pouring this on her poison, it has the effect of drying it up. Now when she (we) contacts poison, she treats the effected area before the rash springs up. This must be done 3-5 times a day (whenever the tingle is felt) until it stops. This is an inexpensive treatment! Isopropyl Alcohol is regularly found to be one dollar on sale, and usually not more than two dollars. During the summer, some doctors report treating 10-15 patients for poison each day. The Lord has brought forth a cure, and saved us a lot of money as well!
The first healing I experienced for myself was as a young Christian at age 14. I had kind of a pinched nerve in my back (never officially diagnosed), from injuries 2 years earlier. The main effect of this is that sometimes it would cause a sharp twitch, or spasm—quite visible, and very embarrassing. Finally, it had happened again to me while showering; and I thought, why not ask God to heal it? Back in my room I prayed very simply, “Lord, will you please heal my back? I don’t know if it is your will, but I know that you can do this. Please heal my back.” Not very spectacular, huh? But God is good, and I never had another twitch.
Dental work is also very expensive, and I had a tooth that was threatening to need a root canal. Yes; it got “prayed away!” Yet with this tooth, I had to repeat the process of a healing request 5 or 6 times (several months in between each time). I know that His grace is sufficient for me (II Corinthians 12:9,10).
About 4 years ago, my grandmother was admitted to the hospital. It was a hot summer day, and it soon became apparent that she had merely over-exerted herself. Yet as our greedy medical system operates, they continued to keep her hospitalized and run tests—because her insurance was guaranteed by Medicare. She went in on a Saturday, but finally Thursday was set for her release. I came in at 4:30, after work, to take her home…
She was still in her hospital gown, in bed! During an exam that day, a blood clot was revealed. A blood clot can move around inside your body, and create a potentially deadly blockage of blood flow. So they were keeping her to consult with another physician the next day, and then decide what to do…
Not surprisingly, grandma was greatly discouraged. She had looked forward to that day with the prospect of going home. But now the outlook was quite uncertain; with even the possibility of surgery on the horizon. I was really moved toward praying for my grandmother; and when I offered, she gladly accepted. During the prayer, I asked God to show her mercy and heal her of this “clot.” It really seemed like a great way for the Lord to further reveal Himself to her. Then I departed; promising to be back the next day after work again…
When I came into her room, she was dressed and seated on a chair—ready to go home! I asked her what had happened, and she said when they went to inspect the “clot” again, it wasn’t there! I thanked God so much for doing this merciful healing (Luke 6:35); but my grandmother never acknowledged those prayers to anyone else…
Jamie went into the emergency room with a 105 degree temperature (Fahrenheit—98.6 is normal); in two days of illness, the Lord had not yet healed her. She was totally lucid, and this by itself was a testimony to God’s presence. Such a high temperature is known to usually bring delirium.
We did not understand, but accepted God’s will in going to the hospital. Yet though her kidney infection was easily treated, she remained quite ill even 2 weeks after that hospital stay. The Lord was calling us back into prayer for this…
So we called upon our Lord the healer, asking Him to complete this work. We spent a good amount of time in diligent prayer, and seemed to sense that it was done. The next morning, however, did not seem that way. Jamie was just as ill as in the previous mornings. After talking a bit, all I could tell her was, “I don’t know what to say. We’ve already turned it over in prayer—let’s just trust the Lord.”
Jamie came home from work, and was her old self again! She told me that about lunchtime, she could feel the illness “break” within her! We need to always remember that God is faithful, and true to His Word; no matter how things may appear to our eyes.
Some illnesses and their healings have deeper meaning. I have been disciplined or directed by God this way on a regular basis. Like the time I had headaches daily, for over a month straight. I could take aspirin—but the headache would still return. A doctor’s appointment was set up…
One day as I was walking, I got into some deeper prayer. I picked up that the Lord was directing me to seek another job; and that was the headache reason. I committed it to the Lord, asking for confirmation by not allowing these headaches. The next day there were none! In fact, my car battery exploded that day—and I still got no headache! I began my job search, leaving about 2 months later.
In my last job, I was offered full time work. But since the offer (I was working part-time), 2 weeks had passed without more being said. I was praying all along, and intended to take the full time position; unless the Lord said otherwise…
While working a full day, everything was going well at the time I came home for lunch. The Lord had healed me of an ankle/foot injury 2 days before, and it still felt fine…but I could hardly even walk when the day was over! I hobbled home, managed to shower and change, and then I was done. I honestly could not walk on my left foot (which was the healed one). We had a busy afternoon at work, but the physical change told me that something was up spiritually. I was too exhausted to pray that night, so it waited until morning…
Yet I still couldn’t walk (no surprise); so I began to seek the Lord as to what happened. It was brought to my mind that upon returning to work after lunch, I had sought out 2 managers to discuss my full time position; setting up an appointed time to start…
This was my answer about working full time! So I submitted myself to the Lord, accepting what had happened as being from Him. But then I further asked Him to heal my foot, so that I might be able to walk, and go out to pray. Right away, I felt strength pour into my foot; I could even feel tendons and ligaments popping, as they were healed back into place! I could get up and walk immediately, with little pain; which continued to diminish throughout the day.
Why does God do such things? Couldn’t He have shown me about the job without the injury/healing? I believe it was so I could look back at my decision with confidence, never questioning the final choice. He wanted me to know His will, and wanted me to be sure.
You might ask, how can you tell when an infirmity is really a direction from God, or simply a standard sickness? My first response would always be to directly seek God in prayer and scripture study. He will be the interpreter.
As you grow in the Lord, however, your spiritual senses will become more naturally discerning as well. Yet you may suspect God intervening if an injury/illness seems to come “out of nowhere.” Or if your body’s natural healing is taking well longer than it should. Every infirmity, no matter how seemingly insignificant, should be turned over to the Lord for His healing touch.
Aches and pains are a normal part of life, but God wants to be our healer. We should call upon our Lord at all times; not trying to “endure” pain on our own, or even treat it according to our wisdom alone; we need God’s holy anointing.
While working at a local department store, I suffered some type of injury/strain on the middle finger of my left hand. It would come as I first contacted or used the finger some mornings, but then go away. Granted, it was not a persistent, aching pain—but it was quite sharp and uncomfortable when it hit. So I went to God the Father, asking Him to heal me through the finished work of His Son; “…by whose stripes ye were healed.”—I Peter 2:24.
Without being certain of an exact day, I’d estimate that this finger has been well for easily 6 weeks! I did give it to the Lord faithfully (daily) when praying for it—but when I didn’t have the pain anymore, I stopped thinking about it! We must pray in faith, trusting God for His time and method in answering our prayers…
And yet the poison (plant) was strongly upon me, until joined in prayer by a brother and his wife. It then began to rapidly leave me; but then I became afflicted by a sore lump upon my left knee! Now, after several days of prayer, the soreness is gone; the lump is diminishing, from the Lord’s hand upon it.
It is so important to persist with prayer, expecting God’s blessing. For myself, especially in regard to healing, the answer usually takes place after several days or longer. That the healing is a special touch from God, we should not doubt. Only too many times I have known the injury to be quite severe, as one would normally seek a physician for. At other times, the infirmity would not improve until after I had deliberately sought the Lord for it.
One might ask why God would do this, instead of the “instant” variety of healing we usually think of. First of all, we might remember that even when Jesus was physically here on earth, the healings He granted were not always instantaneous. He often challenged the faith of the petitioner, and was sometimes prevented from healings by a lack of faith (Mark 6:5,6; we believers will also be challenged this way). But we also see healing in stages (Mark 8:22-25), and healings which come after our obedience (John 9:1-7, Luke 17:12-14); all of this is to say that even our creator did not always “snap His fingers” and heal the sick. In this way, He is again our example to follow.
It has been pointed out to me that the gift of healing is distinguished differently than that of miracles (I Corinthians 12:9,10); that is why healing can take time. This makes sense to me, though the Bible does not give a specific teaching which states this; it does give us examples. In Acts 3:6,7, we find the account of God using Peter to heal a lame man. This man had been lame since birth (Acts 3:2), and was more than 40 years old (Acts 4:22). This sort of instant healing would be more accurately called a miracle, and is another distinct gift of the Holy Spirit.
The healings referred to in Mark 8:22-25 and Luke 17:12-14 came over a time period, rather than all at once. I do believe that the specific gift of healing will often work in this way; it could take place over hours, days, weeks, or even longer, according to the work of God’s perfect ways.
We need discernment for all those things we may see or encounter, to be certain of what they really are. With Satan’s power growing ever stronger in this world, many evil signs and wonders will take place. The Lord allows this to prove our faith, by obedience to Him according to His Word (Deuteronomy 13:1-4).
There is a man I came to know a good number of years ago; a respected leader among numerous churches in our area. As I got to know this man in what he stands for spiritually, I could see serious problems. In teachings that he gives, actions that he follows, I have easily seen the contradictions to the Word of God—what he is now clearly living and promoting is another gospel (accursed—Galatians 1:6-9).
Early on in my acquaintance with him, he recounted a “miracle” to the congregation. I had no cause for questioning it at that time, but now I have solid reason to doubt that this was a work of Jesus Christ. Remember that I am not giving a final judgment on the matter, for it was some time ago and my recollection is sketchy. Also, his own position with the Lord may have deteriorated since then, so that at the time of this miracle he may actually still have been in right relationship with the Lord. I recall it now, that it might further your understanding in how to discern what is actually of God almighty, and what is from the god of this world…
The testimony was about faith; which is a very good subject. He shared how “God” was expanding his own faith, by showing him what was possible. The Lord does indeed grow our faith, from smaller things to greater. Somehow in this test of faith, it was determined that he should pray for his ordinary tooth fillings to become gold ones (he is a wealthy man). Remember, the Lord (?) chose this miracle to be prayed for to encourage his faith; that he might believe in and trust the Lord for still greater things…
Needless to say, his fillings became gold. I did not personally verify this, but have no legitimate reason to doubt it, either. And yes; I think it possible that God might (it is a very big “might!”) do such a thing for an immature believer (This man was not) in growing their faith. What I really question is the nature of this miracle; God has shown abundant power throughout His Word, and in countless lives, but there is always a need. Perhaps this man was having trouble with his fillings, and gold was somehow an improvement—it did not sound this way! So if God were really growing his faith, wasn’t he aware of anything more needful than his own tooth fillings? In other words, it looks now to me like a purposeless miracle. Yet the devil would have a purpose; to convince this church leader that he was in right standing with the Lord. Also knowing that he would then share this event with several congregations; who would then accept that this man was in right spiritual relationship with the Lord, making them more attentive to false teachings. Sounds a lot like the false prophet (second beast) that we read of in Revelation 13:13,14; “And he doeth great wonders…And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles…” It also becomes evident that in the years which followed the account of this miracle, no others were reported. If the true God were really growing this man’s faith, why didn’t more spectacular reports come in? The evidence is strong…
We cannot seek miracles just for the sake of seeing miracles. The works that are done testify that God is with us, and He has limitless power. We actually need this power to be of service (God himself will be ministering) for the Lord, and especially to cope with the attacks of the devil. The Holy Spirit will lead in bringing forth a miracle, and there will be a need for the work that is done.
Some seek miracles because they think people will be “wowed”, and come to Christ. This is not exclusively true. Miracles will come because God’s Holy Spirit is present, and because the Spirit is leading!
In Acts 13:7-12 we find an account of a man receiving Christ due to a miracle. And certainly, some who received a special touch from Jesus (accounts in the gospels) belie3ved on Him; but the great majority did not. Do you recall Matthew 11:20? Remember this principle so that the seeking of miracles will not take on an unholy importance.
Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Matthew 11:20
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. Luke 10:19,20
The Lord has graciously allowed me to witness the work of devils in phenomena not otherwise explicable. This also helps our faith to grow, for we must believe every Word God has said.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:11,12
Years ago, I buried a King James Bible. It was meant to be a provision in preparation for the time of great persecution against it. Obviously, much prayer and consideration went into the planning for this. I needed a day with rain, so I might have the more isolation…
When the day arrived, I strongly committed it to the Lord in advance, for protection and blessing. All went well, but of course I did get pretty dirty; so upon coming home, I decided to do a load of wash…
My apartment had a “stackable” washer-dryer combination. The washer lid latches to the bottom of the dryer while loading—then the weighted lid must be down to start the washer. I started the wash, and then went about other business, including a time of prayer.
The prayer time hadn’t gone too long, when I felt prompted to check the wash—presumably to see if it was ready for the dryer yet. When I checked it out, the washer wasn’t running; but the lid was latched “up” to the dryer, and it was full of water! I knew instantly that this was an attack of the devil(s), yet I wondered why; it was petty, and ineffectual. The Lord showed me later that the enemy was throwing kind of a tantrum, and this was all that he was allowed to do. It was also used for my spiritual growth; keeping me aware of the enemy’s sure presence, and attacks upon believers.
Glory to God, for the ways in which He has filled me, and caused me to grow. There was a time, however, that I was very vulnerable to petty disturbances—and I was often attacked that way…
As I went to lunch at work one night, by myself, the Lord was alerting my senses to these petty attacks. When I tossed a crumbled piece of paper in the trash—it bounced out! The receptacle wasn’t even full, and there was no apparent reason why such a thing should happen. But the biggest evidence came from cooking in the microwave oven…
The microwave in our lunch room was strange in certain ways. The biggest way by far was that the fan would kick on for a time (up to a minute) after cooking. I supposed that this was for venting the heat out from inside it, but I have never seen any other microwave, anywhere or ever, do such a thing! It annoyed me, but I had discovered the way around it; simply leaving the door open vented out the heat so that the fan wouldn’t kick on. I employed this wisdom also on this night, having used the microwave for 90 seconds…
The microwave door was left open during all the rest of the time of my lunch. I only closed it when I was about to leave the lunchroom; And the fan kicked on! This never should have happened, according to human senses and reasoning. But I was in “tune” with the enemy’s attack this night, all glory only to God. So I immediately bound (Matthew 18:18) Satan from working this way in Jesus’ name—the fan ceased running right away. Brethren, we need to take the Bible seriously; every bit of it. How can we overcome our true enemy, if we don’t acknowledge that he exists, and attacks us? Just look at Jesus’ earthly ministry for an example—it seems that He went above and beyond to be sure that we knew the true nature of our warfare.
Have you ever had a premonition? A feeling, or foreshadowing of events that have not yet come to pass? The Lord gave such things to me, primarily in the beginning years of our relationship. I later came to see these things as a way God kept reaching out to me, and they became a pathway back to Him after I had fallen away…
This narrative of future “glimpses” is not exactly a pray-and-receive miracle. Yet it is a strong evidence of how the Lord may work in a believer’s life. I always credited God (not Satan) with these premonitions, for only He knows the future with 100% accuracy. Our enemy knows a good bit of it in parts, but not the whole. Jesus also tells His disciples in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…and he will shew you things to come.”
During my teen years I started receiving these premonitions, though I did not think of them as such; it was only proven to me later on in college what these were. For brevity’s sake, I will only begin my sharing from my first recognition of a “premonition.” Note: I later would refer to these premonitions as a Word of Knowledge; for it was given of the Lord. I think that in general, the use of the term “premonition” is somewhat demeaning to my savior, Lord, and King. Many people claim to have premonitions who have no relationship with Christ.
The word went out in the early evening—we were planning to go “inner tubing” in the snow that night. It was great fun to slip around this way, and I always looked forward to it. So I gladly agreed to go (my car), but felt extremely uneasy about the whole activity. Weird feelings! Who could trust those kind of feelings about such a fun event? I pushed them aside, and “plowed” ahead…
On my first run down the hill came the trouble; the inner tube will kind of bounce off a ledge, sending the rider and tube flying through the air for about 30’; in height, probably not more than 4’, but you are going pretty fast. I guess my weight was shifted too far front on the tube, because I began tipping forward as I flew through the air. The tube did hit first, then my face, and I flipped over onto my knees. I knew it was fairly serious, with the right side of my face being chewed up pretty well. It was a close call for a broken neck, but God was using this to get my attention. My injuries did heal well within about 3 weeks, but from that point on I was far more attentive to those inner feelings of warning…
The next time came while driving, as I was merging onto a highway. Traffic is heavy in the Boston area, and people will often use the far right “breakdown” lane to help them merge with the other vehicles; it was also raining that day, which made driving conditions worse…
So I was using this “breakdown” lane in coming onto the highway. My speed was still a bit slow to merge well with the other traffic, but I felt a warning within myself telling me to move out of that lane (which I did). Just one-fourth of a mile later, around a bend in the road, was a broken down car; had I stayed in that lane, I’d have run right into the back of it! Spiritually, I was fallen from a right relationship with Christ—a condition that would get far worse, before redemption. Yet in faithfulness He was reaching out to me, still protecting, calling me back to Himself. Some premonition events might seem harsh, but it is far better than an eternity in hell! Yet Jesus’ chastening of this loved one was still just beginning…
It is difficult to precisely describe how these premonitions came upon me, but I must try. As in relating a big one that I received while at school over Christmas break, at the end of 1983…
Despair. Insecurity. Emptiness, weakness. These are all feelings that typified the onset of a premonition. This one hit me as I lay in my bunk, watching TV. What it could never be called is depression. Life’s circumstances were generally quite good when I would receive a premonition, while depression usually occurs after something bad has happened. This was before it had happened.
When those dark feelings came upon me, I would kind of pray within myself. Searching, but opening up to impressions as to what would be happening and when. The impression I received was that someone I was emotionally close to, but not in my immediate family, would die within 2 months…
Once I had this initial understanding, I spent the rest of the night somberly—but then the premonition and its feelings would fade, until the event occurred…
The 3rd week of February saw me away from school for a long weekend in Maine. I came home Sunday night, going first to our student center where we received mail. Here I ran into my roommate J.T., giving him a warm greeting. He had a drawn look on his face—here is our conversation (as best my memory allows).
J.T.: “Have you been to the room yet?” Me: “No, I just got back, and was on my way. J.T.: “I think you’d better go to the room—there’s a note for you.” Me: “Do you know what’s on the note?” J.T.: “Yeah. But it would be better if you read it.” Me: “Don’t make me go all the way back to the room. If you know, just tell me—it can’t be that bad.” J.T.: “I’m afraid it is, dude. Your sister-in-law, Barb; she was hit by a car while crossing the street to work, and she died.”
It did hit me hard, but I doubt that the note would have been better; the wind went out of me, and I leaned hard on the wall. This was my first premonition involving a death, and it was true—about 5 days short of the 2 month mark which it had been forecasted to fall within.
Yet there was still another premonition concerning death which was to come. It was one of those I had experienced during my early teen years; the time period in which I hadn’t yet learned to recognize those feelings as premonitions. It had happened when I was 13, showing that I would die at age 23…
So by the time I reached age 23, I knew what premonitions were. I knew that they came true. And I was also aware that I had been given a word of foreknowledge regarding my death at age 23, and that time was at hand. However, I was in a spiritually backslidden state—blinded by sin. Within myself, I hoped that I had misread that premonition received 10 years earlier…
All throughout 1985, God’s judgment was upon me. I was becoming more and more beaten up, the further I went into sin. The Lord was still faithfully warning me, calling me to repent. During the year I was given a number of smaller premonitions leading up to the “big one.” Even the very morning of God’s rebuke, I told my fiancé that I was near to an accident…
August 21, 1985; exactly 5 months after my 23rd birthday, was the fated day. Almost 6 weeks earlier, my car had been destroyed when a man in a stolen vehicle crashed into it. I was still waiting for my insurance payoff, so in the meantime I rode bike to work. Coming home late that particular night, I was hit by a driver returning from a bar, running through a red light…
What happened? How could a dead man be writing you such a story? It is because the Lord spared me. He established a work in my life via premonitions, as a way to reach me when I would hear nothing else from Him (due to sin; Isaiah 59:1,2). He had shown me how true these premonitions were, then spared my life in His mercy. More importantly, I was spared from the eternal damnation that I rightly deserved. The toll in physical injuries were; multiple cuts and bruises, a notable injury to my groin (unnamed by the doctors), a brain contusion, fractured pelvis, and my left ankle broken in 2 places.
Of course it took time to understand all that had taken place; and I did also deeply repent of my backslidden state. I knew that the Lord wanted a close daily walk with me, and not only get through to me with large and occasional events. Though at times helpful, the premonitions had a decidedly negative overtone to them—for they were only in regard to a possibly hurtful event. I was glad that the Lord was moving me away from that type of relationship with Him (though He still reveals things); but there was yet one circumstance in which He chose to use me this way…
Near the beginning of March in the following year (1986), that old premonition feeling was back again. This time I took that feeling into prayer for understanding, availing myself of the privacy in a forest area. My impression was that someone in my immediate family, who I was not very close to, would die by the end of March; “unless something was done.” Oh, great! Lord, why show me this? I didn’t want to know about it…
Unlike the other premonitions, this one stayed with me; rather than diminishing once I knew more about it. Somewhat frustrated, I went back into the woods to pray some more. I prayed, “Lord, I don’t understand—isn’t it appointed unto men once to die? What can I do about this?” The Lord responded that if I would pray, this person’s life could be extended; so then by this, he/she would have more time for salvation. So pray I did, committing it as I had been shown to do. After these prayers, there was peace…
Come mid April I was speaking to my mother by phone; she told me that my eldest half-brother (Al) had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Surgery had been done, but only 70% of the tumor could be safely removed. He had only the option of using some “experimental” treatments; if he did take them, the doctors gave him up to 18 months to live. I did not question my mother for specifics about the times his disease was diagnosed and treated. It was plainly obvious that this is what the Lord had revealed to me. I’m sure that I prayed again after that call, but don’t remember the exact words. For the moment, it was enough that God was able to use me this way; but salvation is directly from God himself (Mark 10:26,27)…
In the last several months of Al’s life, my sister began to visit with him, sharing about the Lord and salvation. In the beginning of June 1987, I received a call from my mother; Al had been saved! Two weeks later, he went home to be with his Heavenly Father…
The Lord will show up in our lives in many different ways, and He delights to bear fruit through us. We must learn to lean on Him in everything, even moment by moment…
It was hard for me to lose Arlene (not her real name); she was easily the most special girl I had ever dated. She taught me volumes in regard to the importance of friendship and devotion in romantic relationships. I walked alone that night, contemplating this loss in my life…
Though in a fallen spiritual state, I still cried out in prayer. Lord, how could this be? It hurt so much; please tell me it will be alright. Just let me know that everything will be alright…As these words finished rolling off my tongue, a big and bright shooting star came down directly in front of my eyes! Not a dim one, not to the side of my view at all—God provided it just for me! He is so faithful! All my tears stopped, and for a moment I was breathless. I simply said, “Thank you, Lord.”—and went home again.
In the middle of a work day, it can be easy to forget how close God is. Yet just cry out in prayer, and you will find Him to be near (James 4:8). As when I was moving a load by forklift in a high wind! Several pallets were fairly light, and their stability was really threatened—so I cried out to the Lord, and He diminished the wind! I ceased to be “careful” with my load, and instead submitted it by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6,7). God is true to His Word.
We need to recognize the Almighty God as He moves in ways that are very far from earth-shattering. When things don’t quite line up with the way we’ve observed them to be, naturally (our Lord is the real determiner of what is “natural!”).
In the process of this newsletter, we had a bout with small ants that were invading our home. It was usually worst in the mornings, but usually only about 12 or so were killed daily. Yet one morning they seemed to just explode all over the kitchen counters; we knew it was time to pray…
There was a noted difference on our countertops, but a couple days later I found that they were now travelling higher on our cabinets! They had found something to their liking in with our baking supplies, unfortunately for us. The Lord was still present, but choosing to answer our prayers in His own unique way; and clearly showing His divine touch…
God showed us where the ants were coming in, which was a big help. Our bug spray had run out, so Jamie searched on the internet for more readily available ant repellants. We chose vinegar; also recommended were things like pepper, mint, and cinnamon. So the Lord chose to give us wisdom in order to answer these prayers. But the real evidence of God’s hand rested with the fact that during the time we were besieged with ants, they never got into any of our food! And there were plenty of opportunities to do so—in my experience with ants, this just doesn’t happen. It was a testimony of God’s presence, as He preserved our food resources which of late have been hard to afford. Remember to trust God to answer your prayers according to His own divine wisdom, which is almost always shown in a way we wouldn’t expect. With this in mind (prayerfully), the Lord will keep “showing up” more and more in your life, every single day!
The Lord is also concerned with seemingly small things, especially when we are attempting to live a life pleasing to Him. After my chastening and repentance surrounding the accident, there were many bad habits that needed to change. Have you ever heard the expression, “He doesn’t have a prayer”? I used to say that, even concerning myself. It needed to change, and I felt badly about it. Sometimes I got close to catching myself, but that key word prayer was always at least beginning to come from my lips…
This story requires some detail, so I ask for your patience. I was the kind of driver who learns all the traffic patterns, and how the signals change within my accustomed routes close to home; all this for considering any time advantage it might bring, in between destinations. I was on one of those normal routes when the Lord showed Himself in a unique way…
Pulling up to the red traffic signal, I was the seventh car stopped at the intersection. The signal I was at was timed with the next one in line. I had never made it through both signals if I was more than the fourth car waiting—even then it only was a slim chance, and I could only get by the second signal after it had already turned yellow. Also, at times a good bit of traffic would turn in front of us just before the light changed, further hindering progress. I didn’t know why I was even looking—at seven cars back, I should just have to take my medicine! But I continued watching; sure enough, 4 cars turned right in front of us just before the light changed…
My mouth opened, and with a shake of my head I said, “I’m not going to make it, no way. I haven’t got a…” For the first time, I caught it! But I finished my words with, “…chance. I may not have a chance, but I do have hope in prayer.” I began traveling through that intersection, and then at the second traffic signal I watched (mouth open) as the light stayed green, stayed green, all the way through! I had traveled that intersection 5-6 times a week, for over 4 years. This was no coincidence! And I was never even close to being tempted by that ungodly phrase again!
Computers can certainly cause much aggravation, so it shouldn’t surprise you to think of the need for a miracle surrounding one!
We were really strapped for cash, but could readily see the advantages of a computer, and internet access. One became somewhat affordable for us through a catalog we received; they were offering refurbished “windows 95” computers for $200. Being familiar with computers and their set-up, my wife felt encouraged that we should take the deal. It was prayed about, but perhaps not as thoroughly as necessary—we were both eager to get started…
Needless to say, it became a great frustration. When the computer was set up as it should have been, we could not connect to the internet; no reason was apparent. So Jamie called the given phone number for tech support, who basically walked her through steps she had already done—little new significant information came forth. After trying some more on her own, we let it rest for the night; it was long overdue to be submitted in prayer (and we did).
It was decided to call tech support again, this time in the morning before work. As I prayed for the computer problem that day, I asked that not only for the Lord to bless so that it would work; but that He would do it in a way that clearly showed it was His hand moving (I couldn’t tell you why I prayed this way). We knew it would be His touch; but we wished that His name should be glorified, so that this problem solution could not be readily explained away…
Before “tech support” was even open to receive a call, Jamie began another attempt to fix things on her own. She went through all the steps again, but this time a new option appeared on the screen. What was it? Why was it there all of a sudden, and hadn’t been previously? Of course, nothing else had worked, and following the properly sequenced steps were to no avail—so it was logical to click on the new option, not merely a move of curiosity…
When she “clicked” that option, her cell phone rang; the computer had called her cell phone! That was really strange, because even with all the user registration, that phone number was never provided. And who ever heard of a computer calling a phone? This was God’s hand, answering the prayers which His Spirit had directed me in earlier that morning. From these occurrences, we knew that all would work properly; our Lord was letting us know! The true “computer tech” was in the house—the repair was perfect, and the cost was free.
It’s amazing how we often have trouble believing in God’s touch for miracles. We have our science, technology, and psychology, and somehow think that God is constrained to work through them; instead of realizing that all these things are a part of the creation He designed, and that they will work in the way He chooses. He also has ways of persuasion with people that are unlimited, and sure-fire successes. We need to trust the God of creation, knowing that He is not bound by time or circumstance. In faith we must trust God at His Word; realizing that to not do so is in fact, calling Him a liar!
This narrative has been for me, as I would have it be for you—an encouragement. We need to know such power from God in our daily lives; not that we will necessarily see something we call a miracle each day, but that our souls can have rest in the full assurance of such power being present whenever there is a need.
You will need the Holy Spirit for guidance into this kind of faith and trust. Seeking miracles for the sake of a flashy testimony is not what God will provide! He wants to provide for your needs; He wants to uphold you by His hand, and gather you under His wing. He wants you to know that your means of coping will never be exhausted—because His power is infinite. I pray that the Lord will bless you with faith, to uncover true evidence of the unseen God.