GOD STILL PERFORMS MIRACLES

“Did you ‘fudge’ a bit as when you wrote about God answering your prayers recently?”

That was the essence of a question one reader emailed me after I wrote about an experience I had as a youth when God verified the inspiration I had felt by bringing about four very specific signs.

It was very similar to Gideon, when he felt prompted to lead the army of Israel against the Midianites. He was willing, but he wondered how his inspiration could be true, since he was not a reknown military leader, and the enemy’s army was great (Judges 6-7).

But on consecutive nights, he first asked the Lord to make the night’s dew fall only on a fleece of wool and nowhere else; then the second night that the dew fall everywhere else, but not on the fleece of wool.

With the confidence this miracle brought him, he ultimately led a small army of 300 men in victory against tens of thousands of Midianites.

God is the same yesterday, today and forever. How can he change? Why would he change?

If he spoke to his children in centuries past, why would he stop now? Does he have less to say? Does he have laryngitis? Does he love us less? Do we need him less?

Most people would agree we have never needed God any more than we do today.

And if we need his miracles to bless the lives of others and are willing to be instruments in his hands, would he not use us? Why would he withdraw his gifts of prophecy, healing, etc., in time of need?

I responded to our reader that this was one of many miracles I have been part of. I mentioned a few others.

On one occasion a young lady was trying to care for two ailing parents and work full-time. She fretted much, and ultimately developed a bleeding ulcer.

She was scheduled to go to the hospital on a particular Monday to prepare for surgery on Tuesday. She came to us on the prior Sunday for a blessing.

Several of us laid our hands on her head, anointed her head with consecrated oil and pronounced a blessing on her. I felt inspired to call on the powers of heaven and the powers within her own body to heal the ulcer.

When she was admitted into the hospital on Monday, all the symptoms had disappeared, so they sent a fiber optic tube down her trachea into her stomach to see if the ulcer was healing enough to respond to medicinal treatment rather than needing surgery.

But to their surprise it was not just doing better, it was gone. There was no sign it had ever existed. They sent her home.

On another occasion I was serving as leader of a small church in Guatemala. Two of the women leaders -- the head of the children's program and the head of the women's program -- started bickering and backbiting.

Since their two families made up about half of the small branch, I felt it was imperative to do something or the branch might be shut down again, as it had been five years earlier.

I began praying and fasting for inspiration. Two or three days passed without any solid inspiration.

Then Sunday arrived, and I called on another church member to open our services with prayer. As I sat down and the prayer began, a flow of inspiration began. It was like taking dictation -- the words I needed to say, the actions I needed to take.

I know it was inspiration from God, but that by itself couldn't be documented to anyone’s satisfaction, and is an experience I have had on numerous occasions.

What was interesting, however, is that several days later I was visiting with one of the families, and a teen-age daughter told me that the previous Saturday she had been confronted by an atheist who was telling her that religion was only a crutch for weak people.

She wrestled with this idea throughout that sleepless night. The next morning she went to church with her family, and during the opening prayer -- while I was receiving my inspiration, but she didn't know that -- she felt prompted to open her eyes.

When she did, she saw a beam of light coming through the ceiling directly onto my head. I had told no one about when and how I was inspired to take certain actions to save the branch, but I believe this young lady was blessed, in essence, to see a revelation being "transmitted," for lack of a better term.

The unlikely coincidence of when I know I was receiving my inspiration and when she saw the beam of light could, indeed, be documented.

I have experienced other miracles, too -- just about every kind described in the Scriptures -- but these would be, as I said, some of the most "documentable."

I know God still hears and answers our prayers – but particularly if (1) we are praying to bless someone else and not ourselves, and/or (2) we consecrate ourselves to do whatever God prompts us to do – despite whatever fears, prejudices or personal discomforts block our way.

May God bless you with your own miracles.