1. yes! if you've got an hour and a half or so, i think this is amazing to watch. i could recommend books, and gladly will, but i think this will be shorter time and require less of you but will give you an amazing glimpse at what the lord is doing. i was BLOWN away by what goes on! some things seem silly to me, but obviously aren't to the lord! you can watch for free on you tube in 10 sections. totally worth your time. here's the link to the first part:
2. yes, i think this is the hard thing. i would toss a few things out there to chew on. we know that god is in control and is capable of doing whatever he wants and sees as best. we know that god loves to heal people and is certainly capable of it.
(assuming we're talking about medical miracles...though i think western thought/culture hinders us from any miracle) what i think is harder is that we, in the west, tend to put more faith in science and medicine and doctors than the lord. this may not be the case always, but i think often times we "ask for a miracle" but here's the thing: do we REALLY believe god will do it? believe it or not, but god is raising people from the dead. today. i have seen him heal someone's back problems -- totally take them away. my friend rennie, he grew her leg longer so they would match up. i had an AWFUL headache one day like meds didn't help and was about to help; i asked beth to pray for me and it was gone in an instant. again, for me, these things can be hard to swallow/believe, but HE IS doing them!
so i say, let's look at scripture...
matthew 7:7 (H)“Ask, (I)and it will be given to you; (J)seek, and you will find; (K)knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for (L)bread, will give him (M)a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, (N)who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will (O)your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
luke 11: 9And I tell you, (L)ask, and (M)it will be given to you; (N)seek, and you will find; (O)knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for[d] a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?13 If you then, (P)who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father (Q)give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
those are things that easily come to mind i think. here we see that the Father, our Father wants to give good things to his children -- like our earthly parents but even more so! we also see that we have to actually ask for them.
matthew 21: 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them,(AF)“Truly, I say to you, (AG)if you have faith and (AH)do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, (AI)‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And (AJ)whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, (AK)if you have faith.”
mark 11: Therefore I tell you,(AJ)whatever you ask in prayer, (AK)believe that you (AL)have received[c] it, and it will be yours.
these two passages show us that not only do we need to ask in prayer, but we have to BELIEVE that god will do what we ask. personally, i think this is the hardest part.
john 16:23(AR)In that day you will (AS)ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, (AT)whatever you ask of the Father in my name, (AU)he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. (AV)Ask, and you will receive, (AW)that your joy may be full.
ok, here we see that we have to ask in jesus' name.
we easily see three things: we have to (1) ask (2) in the name of jesus and (3) believe jesus can and will heal. i'm slowly reading a book right now (here) about bringing heaven to earth and he touches on this a lot, too.
personally, i know intellectually that god can do anything. i know god wants his children to be healed and restored. but too often i lack faith. but there are moments (and want there to me so many more!) when the intellect and faith collide and god does amazing things. i think this is how we were created to live.
also reminded of the missionary i heard that said: you won't see jesus heal if you have an abundance of doctors.
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