APR, MAY, JUN 2024 VOLUME 17 Issue 2
Have you ever seen God do a physical miracle? I have. I remember it very clearly.
I grew up in a really small town—one of those towns where everyone actually knows everyone. One of the sweetest ladies in our church would walk in and out of our church and all around town the same way. She walked slowly and with a very pronounced limp every day of her life. One of her legs was literally shorter than the other one. It caused her so much pain.
One Sunday night at a revival service, she came up for prayer. We watched as the speaker prayed and began to speak healing over her body. We should have all been praying, but the majority of us were watching. We had all been here before. We had seen this woman limp to the front of our church for prayer before, and every time she would limp back to her seat.
This night felt different. The faith in the room was raised. I’ll never forget it. The guy praying was praying the most simple prayer: “Leg, grow.” We all leaned in and watched as this woman’s leg physically began to grow. This time it was different. There would be no more limping. There would be no more pain and there would be no more limitations. God showed up and He healed her.
This night would be forever etched in my memory and in my spirit. If you have ever seen a miracle like that, it is etched on your heart as well. These moments are so important in our lives because they teach us to never stop believing, to never stop praying, and that, even if it does not happen on our timeline, He hears us.
In fact, there has never been a prayer thought, yelled, or whispered that hasn’t been heard by God. This is what sets who we believe in apart from every other little god that has been propped up by others. Our God is alive. He hears us, and He cares. Because of that truth we can pray with confidence that when we pray He hears us from heaven. For most believers, we don’t have a problem believing that God hears us. Most believers just give in or give up before they see the answer.
I could write an entire article just on the miracles I’ve seen God do for others. I could tell you how I’ve seen Him heal other people of cancer. I could tell you of my friend who died 3 times in a gym while he was working out and is still alive today and sharing the good news of Jesus. Instead, I’d like to bring this a little closer to home. So many times, we hold onto the big answered prayers for others more than the smallest ones for ourselves.
Like you, I take my family very personal. My wife and I were married in 2004. By 2006 we were starting the conversations of having babies. We made the decision to officially start trying to have a baby. After a while of trying, no baby. One night at church, a guest speaker came and called my wife up for prayer. He had no idea we were trying to have a baby. He prayed against the spirit of fear and that the curse over her womb would be broken. She broke down crying. Being the great husband that I am… I was completely unaware that she was having those thoughts and fears.
My heart hurt for her in that moment. We began to thank God for our babies. We put Bible verses up in our cars, on our mirrors, and in just about every room in our home. Every time we would read them, we would declare them. Soon after, we had our first baby girl, Olivia. What a promise fulfilled. We prayed and God heard us. Eight months after Olivia was born, God continued to answer our prayers we prayed before Olivia was born, because to our surprise my wife was pregnant again. We were very thankful. It seemed like we were pregnant all the time after that. People kept saying to us, “You know what causes that don’t you?” That one is always funny. I would say, “Of course we do. It’s just too much fun to stop.”
We ended up having four kids: Olivia, Ava, Jacob, and Caleb. We are so grateful. Why do I tell you all of this? The enemy tried to rob us, but God gave us more than we could have ever imagined. One of my wife’s biggest fears has become one of the most beautiful parts of our ministry. We have prayed for more couples than we can count that have had the same fears and the same doubts of not being able to have babies. People from other churches would come and ask us to pray with them, and they would have babies. We would have friends bring us non-believers who wanted to have babies. They not only have babies now, but they are also living for Jesus. So many times God will use your breakthrough to help lead someone else into theirs.
The Lord taught me one of the most beautiful lessons through this journey. I used to ask God, “Why me?” when we would walk through difficulties. Now, when difficulties come along, I take good notes and ask, “Who is this for?”
With God, nothing is wasted. In Revelation 19, we see the writer refer to Him as Faithful and True. Those aren’t attributes; those are names. He is Faithful, and He is True. He is Faithful and True to His word. He is Faithful and True to His children. He is Faithful and True to hear you from heaven, walk with you, and lead you into an abundant life.
I am so thankful for the miracle I saw in that little town. It showed me that not only does God hear us, He answers us. That night gave me the faith to believe in countless miracles and to never give up praying for things or for people. Maybe you are reading this article and you have been struggling in your marriage, with infertility, or with finances. Maybe you have a child that you have raised who is outside of your home and living outside of the will of God for their lives. Don’t stop praying. Don’t give up and don’t give in.
One of the best things you can do is find someone who has already walked through it and let their story build and increase your faith. Dig into scripture to find some verses that speak to your situation, print them out, and declare them over your life. Every time you hear a lie from the devil, replace it with a truth from the Word. When we do that, our faith gets stronger. When our faith gets stronger, we can have peace while we wait on our own answered prayer. Finally, remember who your Father really is when you pray. He is the one who hears, who is Faithful, and who is True.