John 4:43-53, Revelation 12:11

Carl Belcher

God has been on my case recently, prodding, inspiring and generally challenging me in the whole realm of miracles.

Like many, I've found myself asking the question "How come I don't see more of the miraculous in my life and those around me?" Perhaps this has something to do with our understanding of just what is the miraculous. Whenever we hear about miracles, signs or wonders, our first thoughts are often of incredible healings, or supernatural occurrences like walking on water and turning water into wine. But I'm sure that miracles happen all around us every week. The very fact that I've been married to the most incredible woman for nearly 13 years, have 2 incredible children and am able to influence the destinies of those God puts me in contact with is more than just an honour, it's a miracle in itself!

But when it comes to the more dynamic sort of universal, law-defying miracles, we can come up with all sorts of reasons why we don't see more. Our western culture places a higher value on science, materialism and self-reliance, all of which reduce God and His Kingdom to an optional extra, not a fundamental necessity. There's nothing like being in a situation where you've reached the end of your resources and own abilities to throw you into God and put your full reliance on Him. It's a shame that we often wait until we get that far before we do though.

I recently read one of C.H Spurgeon's sermons in which he addressed the whole area of the miraculous and saw something that I'd never really considered before. The way in which Jesus brought the miraculous into people's lives wasn't just to sort out their immediate problem, but to take them on a journey towards knowing God.

John 4:43-53 recounts the event where the son of a royal official is close to death and the father goes in search of Jesus to heal his boy. The man would have heard the stories of this incredible teacher who doesn't just inspire with his words, but confirms the truth with miracles. Although these stories didn't cause the man to search for Jesus there and then, he remembered them when all options for his son were exhausted. Most people today will have some understanding of Jesus' existence and many that he performed miracles. Part of our task in helping people to receive Jesus' power to impact their lives is to speak out the fact that Jesus did heal and he can and still does today.

Search and Rescue
You might not feel like the world's greatest evangelist or miracle worker, but you know what God has done in your life and no one else can take your testimony away from you. Revelation 12:11 says, "They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony". The first stage in helping others to receive their miracle is to help them search for the miracle giver. They might not there and then fall on their knees sobbing "what must I do to be saved?!" but when the time is right, God will remind them in their time of need of how God has been real to you and use it to stir up a seeking faith. Think about how you came to know God. My guess is that the first person to share something of what God has done for them with you didn't involve laying on hands or summoning lightning bolts, but just being who they are and not hiding what God meant to them. Be confident in the truth of what God has done for you, not how impressively you tell it.

After the royal official begged Jesus to come to Capernaum and heal his son, Jesus says something that sounds like a telling off, "Unless you people see signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." I love the message version of the officials reply in John 4:49, "But the court official wouldn't be put off. 'Come down! It's life or death for my son.'" After he said this, Jesus said that the boy would live and he did. Because of that, the man took Jesus at his word even though he had no proof that his son had been healed. The fact that he didn't get home until the next day and it was only 20 miles away shows that the man was in no rush because he was absolutely sure that his boy had been healed. His faith had switched from seeking faith to relying faith.

Stirring it up
You see, Jesus' reply wasn't unfair or harsh, but he said it to deliberately stir up the man's faith. Sometimes we can be so desperate to want to fix peoples problems that we inadvertently prevent them from exercising faith and relying on Jesus. If they are relying on our faith that Jesus will come to the rescue, what's going to happen next time they're in need? Remember, Jesus said that faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain. Our task is to help stir up that faith in others no matter how embryonic it might be and help them to put it into action.

From 'I can' to 'I AM'
Finally the official gets word from his servants that his son has been healed and it happened exactly when Jesus said, "Your son will live." The verse says, "he and his household believed". Although the official already believed that Jesus could heal his son, his belief had changed from simply believing that Jesus could perform miracles, to believing that he is God's son.

Whenever I have seen God at work in my life, whether that's unexpected finance coming in just when I've needed it, being healed or seeing some complex or impossible situation being completely turned around, the greatest impact is not the 'outcome' itself, but the deep certainty that comes with it that God cares deeply about me and is still committed to me in every way.

My prayer for you today is may you always be ready share your story of what He has done for you, may your life stir others to put faith into action and may you be constantly filled with a deep sense of his committed love as you see him perform outrageous miracles throughout your life.