The Battlefield of Humanity

Some are in the habit of asking why they don't witness more miracles.  It's an interesting question, and often asked by well-meaning people seeking after God.  Dr. Chauncey Crandall is a surgeon and a cardiologist from Palm Beach, and he has an answer to this question.  He is quoted on a podcast called The Deep End, saying that many times people don't see the miraculous, because they aren't spending time on the battlefield of humanity.  Surely he has seen it all as a surgeon, and in fact he tells quite a few stories of resuscitated patients that saw heaven or hell moments after dying on the hospital table.  But more than that, I think what he was alluding to is the idea that if we aren't spending time bringing people closer to Jesus, then we won't typically see His handiwork in real time.  Now don't misunderstand me, if you aren't seeing supernatural things on a regular basis, it doesn't mean that you aren't born again.  Faith healing is not a criteria of salvation.  But it just might mean that you aren't spending enough time on the spiritual front lines either.  

If we stop for a moment and remember all of the miracles from the book of Acts, I think a couple things become clear.  First, the apostles were witness to  miracles on a regular basis, even though Jesus had already left them and ascended into Heaven.  I believe the reason for this is because they were  conducting their evangelistic ministry out in public, for regular people; they didn't stay inside the safety of the synagogue.  Instead, they met people where they were at in life.

The second thing we notice is that they were calling forth God's healing power by way of the Holy Spirit, and often because they perceived a nudge from God.  In other words, they were healing people with purpose, not just for the sake of some type of theatrical show.  They understood that God was healing through them, because they walked in the footsteps of Christ.  Man doesn't heal anyone; miracles are the realm of Jesus Christ.

I will never forget an instance when I was at a music concert for one of my children years ago.  It was during a break, and I felt the "nudge" of the Spirit telling me to go over and pray for someone across the hallway.  This gentleman had been suffering from a problem that the doctors couldn't figure out how to treat (I knew this already, because he told the story to several of us earlier).  So, I choked back my discomfort, walked over to him and asked if we could pray together.  He was on board with this plan, so we prayed right there in the convention center.  Later, he told my wife that he was sitting in a board meeting that very next day after we prayed, and he could feel the healing.  From that point forward, his malady had disappeared.  No medication, no treatment plan, just God showing up after prayer.  I don't believe that I have the spiritual gift of healing like some do, or that I am even particularly holy.  But when the Spirit nudged me, I listened.  I really do think that is all that the Lord requires of us sometimes.  Just listen, and then obey.   

So why doesn't God heal all of His faithful followers?  Honestly, I don't know.  This is up to God and His sovereignty.  I wish that there was some formula we could follow to achieve perfect healing every time, but there just isn't.  Sometimes people are healed by Jesus, sometimes by modern medicine, and sometimes not at all.  That is the conundrum we face as human beings this side of Heaven.  Maybe someday we will have an answer to that question when it's our turn to meet our maker.  But until then, continue showing up on the spiritual battlefield of humanity.  You may just start seeing the supernatural.  

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