Back in the 1980’s I had the pleasure of sitting in a series of weeklong meetings where Dr. Handel Price was the speaker. For those of you who have never heard of him, he was a powerfully anointed preacher of the Gospel who had at one time sat under the ministry of Evans Roberts and ministered with Smith Wigglesworth. The experience and knowledge of the Scriptures and the moving of the Holy Spirit that he brought to those meetings was priceless.
Of the many things he shared with us that week, one of the things that has continued to impact me to this day was his response to a question that we commonly hear in church circles, a question that many had asked him over the years. When people would hear of the miraculous things taking place in other countries and not so much here in America, they would simply ask him “why?” Why is it that other countries see so much of the miraculous and yet it seems to happen so sparingly here in America? His response to these questions was very simple and yet so profound. He told us that if God asks those in other countries to jump, they simply ask “how high?” But in America, if God were to tell us to jump we would respond by asking “why?” as if God needs to get our seal of approval before we will do what He’s wanting us to do.
What he so succinctly indicated was that it’s an issue of the heart. If we have the mindset that Jesus is Lord of our lives and we are His bondservants, then it doesn’t matter whether or not it makes sense to us. This is because we know He sees the big picture and wants nothing less than the best for His children. If, however, your mindset is one where you decide what you will and will not do in following Jesus, and how much you’re willing to give or pay for that relationship with Him, then your response to Him will be very different. You will find it entirely within your rights to decide which of His commands you will or will not obey.
Having the right attitude and mindset regarding Jesus and His place in your life will see Him move all the more on your behalf. If, on the other hand, you view your relationship with Christ as more of a partnership where you have equal say in your life, and that you have veto power, then the results could be different. Jesus will not, and does not, subject Himself to our opinions and how we think things should be, and He will not share the throne of our lives with any other, including ourselves.
So, our attitude towards Christ and His role and place in our lives plays a part in why we don’t see more of the miraculous than we would like to see. But, is there maybe another reason why we don’t see more of the miraculous?
Over the years I have heard many question why we don’t see more of the miraculous in our American churches. I’ve been in churches that believe God still wants to do the miraculous and come to church looking and expecting God to do that in their midst. I’ve also been in churches that believe God can do the miraculous but are so afraid of the “flesh” or the over-sensationalizing of what God does that they literally control or limit what the Holy Spirit is allowed to do and when. In doing so, they inadvertently stifle or quench the moving of the Holy Spirit, finding arguments to justify the position they have. I’ve also been to churches that believe God no longer does the miraculous, and if there is any miraculous that takes place then it is most certainly not of God. Personally, I believe that God not only still does the miraculous, but that He desires to do so whenever we are looking and open to Him doing so. But, is there another reason why we don’t see the miraculous more frequently in our churches? I think there is.
For decades there have been very significance advancements in the medical and scientific fields. We have seen the introduction of more and more antibiotics and cures, more and more advanced medical treatments and procedures, as well as advancements in various mobility assisted devices. In the process medical professionals have become better trained and more educated in the various medical field specialties that now exist. As a result, we have become more and more dependent upon the medical profession and its medications and medical treatments. This means we have become less dependent upon God for our health and healing.
No wonder we don’t see as much of the miraculous as other countries seem to see. Between having the wrong attitudes and mindsets, not being open to God wanting to still do the miraculous in our midst or trying to limit or control Him, to being more dependent upon the medical profession than God, perhaps these are at least some of the reasons we don’t see or experience more of the miraculous.
Well, this may change. I believe our dependence on the medical profession is about to change as more and more Americans find themselves without medical insurance or can no longer afford even the more basic of health care. In this situation, those who have been more dependent on the medical profession will find that they need to shift their dependence elsewhere. Some will return their dependency on Christ while others will endeavor to find it anywhere else but with Him. As the “Affordable Health Care Act” gets implemented more and more, perhaps this is Gods answer to the question of why we don’t see more of the miraculous in our churches. While the negatives of this new law becomes more and more apparent, and very little positive coming from it, perhaps the “silver lining” in this is that as we become more dependent upon God we will see Him do more for us than we ever had in decades.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not discounting the medical profession and how it has and can be a benefit to us, but when we are more dependent upon it than we are on God then we have a problem. In a way, we have basically made the medical profession an idol in our lives as we put it ahead of God for our health and well-being.
So, I say all of that to simply say, look to God and place your trust in Him for your health and well-being. The more we will do so I believe we will see God move in the miraculous on our behalf, and the more that happens the more people will see that Jesus is alive and well, and that He desires to do great and mighty things on our behalf.
Is God about to answer your prayer request asking to see more of the miraculous in our midst and on our behalf?
