Do you recognize Him?
I love stories of miracles. I believe that they are stories which do not suspend reality. They do not claim that God can break the “laws of science.” No, I believe that we have truly discovered many the laws of the behavior of creation. Order and unity was one of the gifts of God in the act of creation. God ordered it well and called it good. So it isn’t about breaking the rules, it is about following them more intensely. Science has systematically and very accurately in many cases been able to observe and describe the way the world works. But, there are instances which impartial scientific observation struggles to explain. Many have experienced these instances in their life. I have. They are miracles.
I have witnessed many miracles in my time: spontaneous remissions of fatal diseases, alcoholics relieved of the compulsion to drink, addicts relieved of their craving, fevers and sickness leaving almost instantaneously at the touch of a praying healer. I do not think that these are suspensions of the laws of the universe at all, but are an intensification of the ultimate principle of creation: God’s Word.
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. (Mark 6:53-56)
In the Torah, there is a command to Israel to create a fringe around their garment with four tassels to remind them of God’s commandments. These commandments were given by God in love. Obedience to them allows one to be fully human (created in God’s image) and to live life in the fullest. This fringe of the garment reminds the Israelites of God’s love for them. It is this recognition of God as love which brings an awareness of forgiveness and an invitation to healing.
It is our job as faithful human beings to remind one another of God’s love for us. We can do this by acting in love rather that reacting in fear. For me this is almost always difficult, because we live in a culture of fear. I have been taught to react. My work and my growth depends on my commitment to relearn responses of love. It is who I am as a human being created in God’s image to be an instrument of love. I have one great teacher for this, God’s Word incarnate: Jesus. The only problem is that he has died and is risen. How can I recognize him at work in my life?
The people of Gennesaret apparently had no trouble recognizing Him. He had just performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes and had been doing some particularly amazing things in the area. They were ready for a savior. The Son of Righteousness had risen and he had healing in his wings (see Malachi).
Do you recognize Him?
4 comments:
I love you Bro!
RJA
An interesting concept that a miracle is an intensification of the law and order of God. Hadn't thought of it this way befor. Makes it all so much more plausible. I have experienced many miracles in my life. Keep on writing this blog. You have a ministry here!
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do EVEN GREATER things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it." John 14:12-14
That's a pretty loaded statement and sometimes I wonder if I am hungry enough to walk it out and pay the price.
I wish I had the zeal I did as a new believer and the wisdom I have now. When will my theology line up with my reality? I see little miracles regularly but I know we are called to walk in the big ones.
My first Big Miracle happened years ago. I was at a Catholic Charismatic Convention and this girl in front of me from Steubenville sang like an angel. When I told her she had a beautiful voice she said she prayed for it. So I prayed that I would be able to sing for Him too (before this I could not carry a tune). One year later a fellow teammate was going to have back surgery and would have to sit the season out. He came over and a group of us offered to pray for him. He said 60 other people had already prayed for him and we suggested being 61. We began to pray, I started shaking, then he started shaking (crazy I know) then out of the blue I started singing “Hallelujah, Hallelujah you are healed” in a perfectly pitched OPERA voice. My friends fell back laughing in hysteria. It was wild! He was healed and my voice has been forever changed.
I had forgotten about that incident until I started pondering miracles yesterday while on top of an amazing mountain. How easy it is to forget He still does and wants to do great miracles in and through us. Thanks for the reminder.
Very cool, check it out.
http://www.extremeprophetic.com/videoplay.php?id=http://www.propheticmedia.com/video/video_email_media/8_15_07_Weblist_AngelFootageHIGH.wmv
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