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The Miracle of Hanging On
Dr. David Edwards,Pastor First Baptist Church,Corsicana, TX
This past Wednesday in Michigan a fellow went on the ride of his life. It was a ride he did not mean to take. A young man in his motorized wheelchair pulled in front of a semi truck at a gas station. When the truck moved, the handles of his chair became lodged into the grill of the semi. And off they went. With people yelling at him to stop, the truckdriver continued down the highway. With speeds reaching 50 mph, he drove more than 4 miles, pushing the 21-year-old in his wheelchair. When the State Police finally stopped him, they found that because a belt held the young man in his chair he had only spilled his soda. He was not even upset; he merely said, "It was quite a ride."Have you ever been taken for a ride you did not intend? You were going fast to a place you did not wish to go. It was a miracle that you could hang on.
Where are the miracles in life? It depends on where you look.
I have a friend who was diagnosed with cancer. The cancer had spread to her liver. She was very fragile. When I saw her in the hospital I could see the jaundice and knew she would die soon. That was 7 years ago. Today this lady in her 80’s is completely free of cancer. A miracle?
I remember a college friend who was suffering from a kidney disease. Each week he spent hours on a dialysis machine. He then attended a revival meeting where they prayed for him. At the doctor’s office a couple of days later he heard the amazing truth: his kidneys were fine. No longer would he have to return to dialysis. His life changed. He had a new purpose and a new outlook. His family was filled with faith. Many lives were changed in that next year. It was miracle. Then one night his kidney ruptured and he left us. Did the miracle have a timetable? Or was the miracle more than a physical healing?
Each day countless millions of people are praying for a miracle. Sickness is destroying a body; addictions are destroying relationships; sins are destroying souls. And we call out to God to act. We ask Him for the miracle of healing. We pray for the miracle of a restoration. We plead for the miracle of redemption. We are pushed by the events of life, and we wonder why God does not do the miraculous. And when the miraculous seems to occur, it often doesn’t happen the way we expect.
A miracle is when God steps out of heaven, steps into this world, and does what only God can do. Miracles come in all shapes and sizes and shades. Sometimes the miracle is through the power of His Spirit. I remember a time in my life when His Spirit touched me and healed me. But there are other times when the miracle comes through people. We cry out to God for help. And God steps out of heaven, steps into this world, and He sends help. Do we recognize this miracle as well?
We want to see the laws of nature set aside for our hopes and purpose. We want the Red Sea parted, the dead raised, and the body healed. I believe that God still does such miracles. But the greatest miracle that God does every day is often overlooked. God moves through His body: those who follow Jesus as Lord. The feet that come to us are their feet. The hands that grasp us are those hands. The words spoken to us come from their mouths. By the power of His Spirit and by the people who love Him, God does the miraculous. The miracle in my college friend was not just the temporary healing. His eternal life was the miracle God used to show His grace to all who would receive it.
And by the miracle of His grace, we can hang on to Him who hangs on to us.
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