Sunday, February 5, 2012

Miracles Expected

About a year and a half ago Chelsea and I moved to Scottsdale.  We moved here because she had accepted a position teaching at Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran Church and School.  About 3 weeks before she had her first class there was news that one of the school families had been in a plane crash.  One of the little girls in the crash was to be one of Chelsea’s students.  This beloved family lost a mother and little brother.  The dad had broken bones throughout his body, the elder girl was in fairly decent shape and Chelsea’s student had gone the longest without oxygen, was in a coma and was in all likely-hood going to suffer too much brain damage to ever return to school.

Chelsea and one of her friends went to visit the little girl in the hospital once she came out of the coma.  She could not talk other than guttural communications.  The doctors told the family repeatedly that she would have a hard time gaining enough mobility, speech and brain activity to function as a normal child.

One night while we were laying on the floor of our apartment we prayed for her.  In that prayer, God reminded us of miracles.  We continued praying no longer asking for a miracle but expecting a miracle.  After we prayed I told Chelsea that the little girl would be perfectly fine and would be back in school that year.  She was!

To talk about followers of The Way today, we have to talk about two very different sides of the coin.  I think we are represented by two very different groups in the life of Jesus.

The first group comes from one of my favorite miracles.  Jesus was speaking in a building that was packed with people.  No one could get in our out.  A group of friends had a friend that could not walk so they carried him around on a mat.  They had hoped that they could take their friend to see Jesus that day and see if the Healer could help him.  They could not get him inside to see Jesus so they took him up to the roof.  They dug through the dirt and thatched roof above Jesus and then lowered him down to our Savior.  Jesus spoke to the man and told him that the faith of his friends had healed him and that he should pick up his mat and walk.  So he did!

The second group comes from a moment in Jesus’ life when he heals 10 lepers.  He tells them to go to the High Priest and be declared clean.  This was a huge deal.  Until someone was “clean” no one would speak with them, help them or even admit that that person was there.  Only 1 leper returned to thank Jesus while the other 9 never returned.  We are a lot like the other 9 lepers.  We tend to forget the source of the miracle.  It seems to get easier every day to forget the source with technology and medicine.

In the comparison of the first group we do have some advancements to make.  We love to pray.  We pray for food.  We pray for our friends.  We pray for a lot of stuff.  We need more though.  In Hebrews it talks about Jesus making us heirs to the throne of God.  It talks about us having ever right to be in the throne room and to make any request boldly as we are now His sons and Daughters.  It seems like there is always something that is just under the surface that we wish everyone would pray for but we just can’t ask for it.  We want it with every ounce of who we are but when our hands are folded we neglect to ask our Lord for help in the area that is closest to our heart.  What would you ask for if you God specifically asked for the closest request that your heart has?  Would it be for a broken relationship that seems like it would be impossible to heal?  Would it be for the complete removal of the brain tumor?  Would it be for recognition of your sacrifice?  I have had the opportunity to think long and hard about this.  I would ask God to be free of debt.  Chelsea and I feel we have a large pull from God in a specific direction and debt is the one thing standing in our way.  I guarantee we will never bring this up when our small group has prayer requests.  We won’t pray about it before meals or at bed time.  Why not?  Because requesting some miracles seems ridiculous!

To twist around a quote by Dr. Suess…A miracle is a miracle no matter how small.  Let us as a people, as the heirs of the Lord start figuring out how we can lay more at His feet and not less.

As for the second group, we have very short memories. 

Doctors said a little girl would never be normal again.  She should be a beacon of Christ’s power when you see her. 

My wife had a mole removed this year that was pre-cancerous.

One of our neighbors was removed from an environment of physical and sexual abuse.

Our friends adopted a little boy who could have grown up with a mother that could not overcome drugs.

I have 20 nieces and nephews that are all perfectly healthy.

My student loan has been rehabilitated.

One of my friends quit drinking for 30 days which is the longest he had gone without a drink since 14.

I could list so much more.  In my down time I like to read Wikipedia.  This week I read the section on miracles.  It talks about a guy that criticizes the idea of miracles.  His name is Littlewood.  His idea is that if each second counts, there are about a million seconds in a our lives each month.  He goes on to say that we should expect a miracle, or a one-in-a-million type occurrence once a month.  In my mind he just proved that miracles happen every day and we should expect them.  I am expecting a miracle and I ask you to join me.  

These people need them and feel free to write in and add those that need prayer and an intervention from Christ in their lives:

Our friend Julian’s marriage is blowing up.
Andy has no idea what is going on in his marriage.
Katie needs healing after her marriage has wounded her.
A friend has a job opportunity in another state.
Janina’s sister has an inoperable brain tumor.
Chelsea’s uncle Jeff is battling cancer and needs miracles.
My nephew Jonathan’s friends were in a car crash and some of them have been taken home.  The remaining girls and the families need many many miracles.

Like I said, please let the miracles you are searching for be known.  We will lower you before our Savior!  Pick up your mat and walk! 

3 comments:

  1. I often think about the night at small group that we all shared bold prayer requests. I remember how good it felt to share what had been on my heart for so long. After reading your blog, I am left with a question. Why it is so much easier to pray boldly for someone else, than it is to pray boldly for things in your own life? When friends come to me with something that is heavy on their hearts, it weighs on me. I pray constantly for them. When I think about what I want/need, it seems to be a lower priority in my prayers. Why is that? Why is it so hard to ask God for miracles in my own life?

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  2. Hello Brother :) It is so good to hear from you. I miss our coffee shop conversations. I hate to admit it but the situation that I have been put in has shaken my faith quite a bit however I am so very thankful for you and Chelsea (and everyone else for that matter) who have been prayer warriors on my behalf. I guess you could say, I too am looking for a miracle in my life.

    Since this is a public forum, please email me and we can exchange skype info: athome24_7@hotmail.com

    Talk to you guys soon!

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  3. And boldly for your sister Dawn Marie whose heart has harden and turned away from her Lord, her marriage, and her children. There is so much pain in the extended family, and I personally am reliving everything I went through when Dad left. Jesus be with you Mom

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