Today’s devotional comes from Every Day a Miracle by Matthew Stephen Brown.
———
Knowing Jesus as the Healer Who Can Do Miracles Through You
When we read about Jesus in the Bible, He can seem so different from the Jesus we experience today. What have we yet to discover about Jesus that His early followers knew? They recognized Him as Healer. In Jesus’ time, even those who rejected Him as the Messiah accepted the fact that He performed miracles.
Many of today’s believers are exactly the opposite. We accept Him as our Savior but reject Him as our miraculous Healer. It is time to rediscover Him as both.
Jesus used miracles amid a wicked and corrupt generation to make them take a look. That’s why wherever Jesus went, huge crowds followed. They wanted to experience a miracle that would make a difference in their lives. Miracles don’t just draw in people far from God; they encourage those who love God and are devoted to Him.
Miracles encourage our faith and remind us that God hears us when we pray.
To know the miraculous Jesus, start with a simple but powerful prayer: ask Jesus to show you who He is and what He wants to do. Take a moment now to pray, “Jesus, show me who You are!”
Once you know all of Jesus (as both Savior and Healer), He can use you to bring healing to those in the world who are hurting and suffering. As believers, we must not run from these people but tothem; not because you or I can do anything, but because we pray to Jesus, God’s one and only Son, who can do all things. Jesus is miraculous! He can and does still heal, and our prayers can be His conduit.
As Christians, we are not just called to share Jesus’ message but to share His healing in our communities. We might not feel like we are supposed to offer healing, but the earliest Christians would disagree. The Bible is full of stories of when God used people beyond their abilities. When Jesus sent the disciples out, He sent them to proclaim the gospel and to heal (Matthew 10:1). I encourage you to reread the Gospels and look at all the healing that takes place. Healing helps the hurting with believing. It helps people trust God so they can be healed from the inside out.
Miraculous healing is what God does!
This is what Jesus wants His disciples to do! Jesus is calling you and me to love the people in this world with His love that saves and heals. Why have we, as Christians, become so hard-hearted when it comes to dynamic miracles like these?
Jesus can still do the same miracles because He is the same Jesus. We need to do everything in our power to bring people before His power. The healing power of Jesus is needed now more than ever. For too long, Christians have settled for personal power, political power, and many other forms of power that are destructive to themselves and the world. The only power worth seeking is the healing power of Jesus.
Are you ready to be used by Jesus for something miraculous? If so, you need to do a couple of things. First, confess your sins. Confess your lack of faith in miraculous healing. Many believers have this struggle; therefore, there is no shame in confessing this sin. We are all of “little faith” (Matthew 8:26 NIV).
The second thing you must do to be used by Jesus for miracles is pray; there is no other way.
Prayer works, and it leads to miracles. Many Christians talk about prayer, but so few actually pray. What I mean by that is for you to prayactual prayers. Rather than pray, people often say that they are sending their thoughts and prayers.
Stop worrying, stop sending thoughts, and start sending your prayers to God. How many miracles might you see if you started praying out loud, wherever you are, whenever you need a miracle?
Many people who believe in Jesus never share the healing power of Jesus. We need to change that. Every day, there is an opportunity for a miracle. As you go through life, look for those who might need prayer. People all around you need miracles. They need a miracle to pay rent; a miracle for their loved one battling addiction; a miracle to stay married; they might even need a miracle to stay alive.
When Jesus looks at the earth, He does not see a world that needs to be judged. The world is already under judgment; that’s why it’s so broken. Jesus sees broken people who need healing. A miracle may look impossible to you, but it is not impossible to God.
You and I are not miracle workers, but we love and follow the One who is.
Today’s Updates:
Zach has had a harder last couple of days. Yesterday morning, he spiked a very high fever. He has been quite restless with a high heart rate and heavy breathing for the past few days. He likely has an infection of some kind, so while we wait for the results from infection tests to come back, Zach is receiving a broad-spectrum antibiotic and Tylenol to keep his fever down. They also removed the PICC line in his left arm in case it is a source of infection.
Since Zach has had almost no sleep since his restlessness began on Wednesday, the doctors gave him an extra sleeping medication last night. He was able to sleep from midnight until they woke him up at 10am to give him his regular care. Please thank God for allowing Zach to get some much needed rest last night. Pray that Zach will have the peace he needs to have another restful night tonight so that his body can fight his infection and continue to heal.
Zach was able to go out on the ICU patio for about half an hour this afternoon. This is Zach’s first time outside since he arrived at PLC, since he has to be sitting up in one of the ICU patient chairs and have a nurse escorting him in order to go out. Zach remained relatively calm for most of the time that he was outside. Unfortunately he became very restless just before they brought him back inside. His heart rate and breathing rate were very high, and his oxygen levels went quite low, so they had to switch him to different nasal prongs with a higher flow of oxygen after he returned to his room. Zach took some time to settle back down, but they were slowly able to bring the amount of oxygen he was receiving back down throughout the afternoon.
Yesterday, they removed Zach’s chest tube. Praise God that Zach’s right lung has healed enough to no longer require a chest tube. Pray that Zach’s lungs will be protected from further collapses in the coming days. Zach is still breathing without the tracheostomy (through his mouth and nose only), but his breathing has been laboured. Zach will often gag, and it seems that this is because he is irritated by the dressing on his trach site while it heals over. Please pray that Zach will be able to be more comfortable throughout his healing process. Zach is receiving some extra oxygen through his nose to keep his oxygen levels in a good place. Please pray that Zach will continue to be able to breathe on his own and that his lungs may continue to heal.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Please pray that Zach will rest well tonight and that he will have a calm Sunday tomorrow. Please also pray that God will heal both his body and his brain so that he will be able to communicate with us again one day. Pray for patience and peace both for Zach and for us as we wait for his health and responsiveness to improve, Lord willing.
“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)
