 From the Editor |
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Coming of Christ
Foretold in the ProphetsWho is Jesus?Roman OccupationMiracles of ChristThe Death and ResurrectionWhat Does Jesus Expect From Me? |
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Prophecy Fulfilled!By You: PoetryExpect a MiracleJesus Christ’s MissionSimple WordsExercise Method May Have Spiritual Application |
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Expect a Miracle
By Bob Swimm
When I accepted the challenge to “count the cost” and was “drafted” into the army of Jesus Christ at the young age of twenty, I was counseled that trials (1 Peter 4:12) and tests (1 Thessalonians 2:4) came with the assignment; little did I suspect it was Satan’s obsession to pinpoint major weaknesses, weaken our faith, or merely discourage us.
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As a relatively young Christian I was told my mom had inoperable cancer of the esophagus, and had about six months to live—tops. To set this up: Mom and I were more than just mother and son. She was my buddy. My Pal. Although not a church member yet, she always went to the Feast. I had no brothers or sisters.
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She was my only relative after my grandparents passed away. She was all I had. I was literally sick at heart. What was I to do? In the Spring 2004 Infuse I wrote an article “Do I Matter to God?” As a little boy I “bugged” the daylights out of God with prevailing prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), although I didn’t realize it at the time. I thought, hey, it worked then, why not now? I’m a very simple person. So I just looked in the back of my Bible at the list of the miracles of Jesus, but first my mind wandered to that story about Hezekiah in Isaiah 38:1-5. In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “remember, 0 LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah: Go and tell Hezekiah, This is what the LORD, the God of your Father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.” So we see that Almighty God is a God who can and will change His mind when He is entreated. He can be reminded of past good deeds and remembrances. And notice what He further does in verse six, “And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.” He is doing even more than asked of Him. Jesus performed dozens and dozens of miracles, and note, He never, ever turned anyone down. The one that paralleled my situation was the one found in Luke 7:11-15. The only son of a mother had died. Jesus stopped and dried her tears, told her not to cry any more and brought her ONLY son back to life. Jesus said to him, “...get up!” And He gave him back to his mom. Can you imagine the goose bumps? I had to have the same thing only in reverse. I was just like that lady (again in reverse) and the unjust judge in Luke 18:1-7—constant prevailing prayer hour after hour, begging, expecting a positive response-because I was prevailing upon the JUST JUDGE. On July 23, 1978, after one final trip to the throne of grace, I awaited with my buddy, my pal, my mom, in the Oncologist’s office for his report (all the chemo and radiation treatments were completed). The purpose of his report was to let me know how much time was bought—another six months or so, because you see, the statistical cure rate for esophageal cancer is zero. When the doctor entered the room, he was scratching his head with a quizzical look on his face as he said the tumor is completely gone (not in remission) completely GONE! Never give up, ALWAYS expect a miracle! i | |