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MORE MIRACLE STORIES
God Makes Himself Known

A Commentary by Constance Vanides

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works!"
(1 Chronicles 16:8, 9)


Last month I wrote about one biblical miracle which began to change the world. The same changes in lives continue in personal stories today. Two of this month's stories were written by two of my friends. The last story concerns our own family.


EVERYONE'S MIRACLE

"God has given me great miracles. But He said they are not my miracles alone. For all those who prayed for me over the years and stood in the gap to believe for a miracle, it is their miracle also.

Praise God's name now and forevermore! He healed me at a healing service from that overwhelming pain of fibromyalgia.

Then in my home three month's later, three women of God came to pray for my stomach. The Lord took the pain that day! From that moment He has been doing a creative on-going miracle. He has lifted my stomach up and is putting it back into my stomach pouch. It is amazing to see and feel!

For 20 years pain pills were a part of my daily routine. Now, each new morning there is something more that I can do. My doctor is in awe. I stopped the pain pills the very day those women came to my house and prayed for me. I have not taken one since!"

A NARROW ESCAPE

"I was 10 years old, playing in a public swimming pool in Tachikawa, Japan, with my mother sunbathing at the pool's edge. I lost my grip on the pool edge and was standing on the pool bottom in 4 ½ feet of water-just over my head-not knowing how to get out. I blacked out.

I found myself lying at the edge of the pool, out of the water, not knowing how I got there. No one was with me, and my mother was still sunbathing, unaware that I had just had a narrow escape. I figured 'Someone' had rescued me!"

AN INSTANT HEALING

Often God uses a miracle to show us who He is before we will believe and accept Him into our hearts. That's what happened to both my husband, Tom, and me.

It began for us when Tom and his brother had a falling-out in their relationship. Ill feelings in their work together turned into anger and neither one would talk to the other. The conflict resulted in our having nothing to do with the brother's family and we moved away.

About a year and a half later, out of the blue, on Tom's birthday, a call came which was to change our lives forever. On the other end of the line was Tom's brother. "Happy Birthday," he said, and then he added, "Will you forgive me?"

Stunned and surprised, Tom forgave his brother and asked for forgiveness in return. After tears were dried, Tom heard how God had touched his brother's family in a miraculous way and was soon to change Tom and me.

Until then, we hadn't known our nephew had a worst case scenario of rheumatic fever. We then heard the details of the story. The youngest of three boys, at age 12 he contracted the disease with symptoms of an enlarged heart, edema, and swelling of the joints. He was to be moved about in a wheelchair because it was hard and unsafe for him to walk.

The middle son, in the meantime, was attending a Christian high school and was to write a report for his religion class on the differences between Christian denominations. He prevailed on his parents to attend the local Television Crusade of an Evangelist in town, since the son himself was unable to attend.

Father, mother, an older son and the ailing youngster went with trepidation to a service entirely foreign to them. Settled way in the back of the huge auditorium under the balcony, they sat, giving full attention to the activities going on. The Evangelist, hair slicked down, dressed in a tuxedo with ruffles and rings on his fingers, was singing into a microphone, accompanied by a noisy band. He moved about the stage, cameras on him, and continued on down into the congregation.

The Evangelist would go up to people without personally knowing them, and describe the physical condition that brought them to the meeting in search of healing. A person would be asked, "Do you believe Jesus can heal you?" He responded to their stunned, but affirmative answer, with a power-filled prayer for healing. Onlookers could see evidence of that healing!

Observing all the proceedings, our sister-in-law noticed the Evangelist dragging the long cord of the microphone to the back of the auditorium as he approached them. "Lady, stand up! This is your day! Is this your family?"

"Yes," she stammered, "This is my husband and our sons."

"But where is your other son?" (He called out his name!) Having gotten their attention, the Evangelist proceeded to pray for each member of the family. When the youngest boy, the one who was ill was prayed for, he felt heat go through his body! He knew he was instantly healed. A later visit to the doctor that week affirmed the fact that there were no symptoms or indication of the disease. Everything was back to normal!

God had indeed touched each member of the family, including reconciliation with Tom and his brother. This one act of God, through a willing Evangelist, a man with only a fourth grade education, also affected Tom and me. We turned our lives around and sought to be changed.


God is waiting for men and women to turn from their own ways, willing to follow and cling to Jesus as Lord of all. Sometimes a miracle is all it takes!

CLING TO ME

Unless you cling to me,
I bring to ruin the things
you, yourselves have set up in My place.
I want you for Myself to be My people,
known through all the world
for your praise and glory.

(Taken from Jeremiah 13:8-11)

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