Random Thoughts on Miracles

Several things have happened today that made me think about miracles.

Early this morning I received an email from a dear friend in the Congo - Bishop Ejiba Yamapia. He leads a very large church in Kinshasa. He tells of the Big Campaign of Restoration conference he has been conducting and that in one night over 600 people responded to the sermon and invitation to give their hearts and lives into the rulership of Christ. Among them was a man called Mavoka Martin, who had been bitten by a poisonous snake and could almost not walk for how his swollen foot ached. Bishop Ejiba prayed from him and immediately the swelling dissipated and the pain disappeared. Bishop Ejiba says, "Today like never before, Mister Mavoka Martin put on shoes, walked suitably and started to pray with us in the church. We thank God for his mercy."

Many people, including seminaries and professors of religious studies teach that miracles only happened in the Old Testament and during the life of Christ. Perhaps they'll stretch a point and concede that the disciples also performed miracles - just think of Peter and the lame man.

The story Bishop Ejiba relayed is the kind of thing you might think of as a miracle. This is the kind of miracle we Africans see often. God does spectacular feats of healing and restoration within seconds and everyone can see His power and glory. I can remember when I was a child, my father prayed for a man who had a tumor on his cheek. It was an ugly, black thing, disfiguring him and causing him great distress. Dad put his hand on this man's cheek and prayed. When he took his hand away, the cheek was clean, covered with new skin, and the tumor was lying in Dad's hand.

There are other kinds of miracles, though. Last night I ventured outside and looked at my little herb garden in pots. It is very hot in Tuscaloosa right now, and the basil and peppermint were looking terrible. The pots were dry and the leaves where shriveled. Chris brought me the hosepipe and I sat there for a half hour watering my little garden. Today, those same leaves have perked up and look green and glossy. I will just have to keep watering the poor darlings in the heat. To me, that is a miracle too, that a dry plant will perk up and grow with the addition of life giving water.

Consider also how babies grow. A man and woman come together and nine months later a baby is born. No one has been able to replicate the process from start to finish. (Yes, I know about invitro fertilization and so on, but has anyone been able to make a baby without sperm and eggs harvested from real live people?) I watched Malone and Judah, our two grandchildren while they were here. They are truly little miracles that God has given into our lives.

Other things are happening that seem like miracles to me. We are working on getting seats for my mom and sister to come and visit during the Fall. Mom has been here to visit before, but Riana has not. The trouble is we are using Chris' frequent flyer miles, but the airlines have very few seats available for frequent flyers. We need a miracle there. And then this morning my brother Ben sent an email that he wants to come visit at the same time. We already have a miracle there, since he can buy his own ticket.

And then, I see God doing a series of small miracles in my body everyday. Every time I walk between the living room and my bedroom without having to hold onto the wall, it is evidence of miracle - two weeks ago I could not do that. You may say it is not a miracle at all, just the effects of the fruit juice I'm drinking and the full cream ice cream I'm having for breakfast (did it again this morning), but I tell you it is a miracle. God is at work and working on healing me. If He healed me all at once, I would have one huge miracle to celebrate. This way, I have a whole series of little miracles to sustain me.

I am very glad miracles did not stop when the last disciple died.