I’ve often wondered why we don’t see more New Testament miracles in our region. I certainly know people who need healing. I also know people who are connecting deeply with other people, and sharing how Jesus gets them through as a result, because they are struggling with severe health complications. I always assumed that was the main reason God didn’t heal everyone – He used some to connect with others who desperately needed to hear that God loves them and sees them and knows their pain.
I think sometimes we don’t see miraculous healing for what it is. We dismiss it. We point toward our medical practices. I know this first hand because of everything that happened with our precious son last year.
After a tragic event, we watched him lie in a hospital bed, connected to tubes and machines, with a poor prognosis. In fact, the first doctor I finally got to talk to was grim. He didn’t think our son would survive, and said if he did, we would be facing extreme challenges. He left the room and I felt the world spin.
But God!
Our church family rallied around us, and where we felt helpless, they bridged the gap and brought God’s love and peace to us. They prayed bold prayers over our son, prayed truth over our family, and held us up. And over the next 24 hours we watched a miracle unfold. Our boy, the one they thought wouldn’t survive, or wouldn’t be the same, was restored.
While the doctors expressed their surprise, they didn’t acknowledge the miracle. They didn’t acknowledge God’s hand at work. It was just, “Sometimes it happens that way.”
Since that time, I’ve had people listen to our story and counter, “It must not have been that severe after all.”
For a little bit, the comments clouded my vision. I started to think it must not have been that bad after all.
Folks, it was that bad. It was worse than that bad. Our son was not able to breathe on his own. He was unresponsive. His initial cat scan showed severe brain swelling. It was that bad – not just to a mom who fears the worst. Medically, too. I’ve read his hospital file.
God moved miraculously and I am deeply humbled and eternally grateful.
I think more miracles happen than we acknowledge. It is easy to not acknowledge them, to point toward something else, to let the credit go to the doctors, nurses, hospital, herbs, ointments, medicines, proactive care, etc. There are many distractions from God where the need for miracles is most.
I’m not saying withhold medical care. I would have never considered anything other than a good hospital in the situation we were in. I’m just saying healing didn’t come from anyone or anything other than God. I am grateful for the medical providers we met, and I am thankful for the work they do.
I don’t always know what to say for the times when the miracle doesn’t come, but I know God is good. He sees and He cares deeply about our pain.
Until next time,
Regina Walker 