Miracles

Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour. [Matthew 8:13 (NLT)]

The centurion had to go to Jesus before his servant was healed, the leper had to kneel before Jesus before being made clean, the paralytic was brought to Jesus before he could walk, the bleeding woman had to reach out and touch His cloak before being healed, and the blind men had to call out to Him before regaining their sight. What did all of these people have in common? They believed in Jesus and their belief led them to go to Him. If they had believed and not gone to Jesus or if they had gone to Jesus and not believed, a miracle wouldn’t have occurred. They did the work before Jesus performed the miracle. Of course, not every illness will be miraculously healed nor every problem miraculously solved, but there can never be a miracle in our lives if we don’t go to the Lord and believe!

Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” [Matthew 9:29 (NLT)]

Expect a Miracle (Part 2) – He has No Limits

“A boy who has five loaves of barley bread and two small fish is here. But they won’t go very far for so many people.”

 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” The people had plenty of grass to sit on. (There were about 5,000 men in the crowd.) Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to the people who were sitting there. He did the same thing with the fish. All the people ate as much as they wanted. When the people were full, Jesus told his disciples, “Gather the leftover pieces so that nothing will be wasted.” The disciples gathered the leftover pieces of bread and filled twelve baskets. [John 6:9-13 (GW)]

Although the disciples’ resources were limited, they forgot that God has no limitations. In Jesus’ hands, the boy’s meager offering would be more than enough to feed the crowd.

Lord Jesus, don’t let our inadequacies and shortcomings constrain our vision of what we can do together. Don’t let us limit your work by deciding what is and isn’t possible. No matter how meager our resources may be, if we offer them to you, you can make them more than enough. You can multiply anything we give to you!

 For nothing is impossible with God. [Luke 1:37 (GW)]

Expect a Miracle (Part 1)

2013-11-12Toward the end of the day, the twelve apostles came to him. They said to him, “Send the crowd to the closest villages and farms so that they can find some food and a place to stay. No one lives around here.” Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish. Unless we go to buy food for all these people, that’s all we have.” [Luke 9:12-13 (GW)

Over 5000 people had followed Jesus and evening was approaching. The disciples saw the massive crowd and they knew they had a predicament. How could they possibly feed all of those hungry people? Although all four gospels report this story, none mention any of the disciples saying something like, “Jesus, we’ve got a problem; we need to pray!” or “Do you think we could find a way to feed this crowd? Could a miracle be possible?” No! Knowing they didn’t have enough money to purchase that much food, they simply suggested sending the crowd away. Jesus and his disciples had been healing the sick and lame. Jesus had freed people from demons, calmed a storm and even brought a young girl back to life. The disciples probably knew about the wine making miracle at Cana. Did it not occur to them that yet another miracle could occur?

Lord Jesus, forgive me when I don’t bring you my problems and trust you with a solution.

Jesus said to him, “As far as possibilities go, everything is possible for the person who believes.” [Mark 9:23 (GW)]

Prayer Can Move more Than Mountains

Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God! I can guarantee this truth: This is what will be done for someone who doesn’t doubt but believes what he says will happen: He can say to this mountain, ‘Be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it will be done for him. That’s why I tell you to have faith that you have already received whatever you pray for, and it will be yours.” [Mark 11:22-24 (GW)]

We need faith to pray, but as we pray we gain faith. True faith, however, includes faith in God’s will, not ours. God can do the impossible but he isn’t going to perform miracles to prove his existence to us. Am I disappointed because I haven’t moved a mountain by prayer? No, because there is no need for me to move any mountains. But, when I have prayed in faith, God has moved people, changed lives, and healed troubled souls. He has, indeed, performed miracles in response to prayers offered in faith.

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” [Mark 10:27 (NLT)]

 

Change is Always Possible

He changes deserts into lakes and dry ground into springs. [Psalm 107:35 (GW)]

Thank you, Lord, because if anyone can turn around a bad situation, it is you!

You have changed my sobbing into dancing. You have removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy so that my soul may praise you with music and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. [Psalm 30:11-12 (GW)]

Divine Intervention

Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish. [Isaiah 46:10 (NLT)]

Is it coincidence or God’s providence? Today, let’s look for God’s hand in the events of this day, the people we meet, and the places we go. He has something wonderful planned for us.