God Of Miracles

 

In the midst of searching the steps that God will want in my life, He brought this crazy idea called “The World Race” through a friend, an no matter how crazy it seemed to me and not sense God wouldn’t let it out of my gut as much as I fought.  $15,000 to raise, that’s crazy God!  And you know of all the other things I have to do and what will people think?  And the economy right now?  But God asked me to step out without seeing the future and to have faith which isn’t defined by current circumstances and how crazy it seemed to me.  So in prayer on my knees one night He told me not to go for a possible job offer but wanted me to do this; so I said “OK God”.  So with an incredible community of friends that believe God’s heart is EVERYTHING to them; five months later the money was raised thanks to people who have the same vision to see God’s Kingdom come and He took care of it all. 

 

 

I can’t sell my car?  Who’s going to buy my car and I’m less than a month away from departure for the Race.  But a friend said, “Just do it, God will take care.”  Again, I wasn’t fully willing to trust all the way but I took the step of faith.  I had an $8,000 plus loan on it still.  But I trusted Him, and in five minutes after sending a message to friends; I had a buyer who bought into the same vision of seeing God’s Kingdom come and He took care of it all.

Our Squad was staying for a couple of days in Brisbane before getting separated to ministry sites.  A young couple who never heard of us before opened up these two apartment they owned to crash, eat, and take over their lives while we became friends.  Our last night together Fran and Jamie joined us in a time of squad worship and prayer.  Earlier that day they told a squadmate of ours they had been trying for years to have a baby but nothing ever happened.  So that 52 of us gathered around them to pray diligently and laid hands on them to have a child in faith; no doubts that God can do this.  One month later in the Philippines in squad worship, Jesse Walsh comes up and says that Fran was pregnant two weeks exactly from when we prayed.  We had the same vision of seeing God’s Kingdom come and He took care of it all.

March 2010 – Philippines

We had two squadmates who needed $4,000 each to remain on the Race with us.  The squad became a unit and we’ll stay a unit and in the next two days made videos, wrote blogs and prayed in faith for them.  In a matter of a couple of days some complete stranger found us and was moved, and he dropped exactly $4,000 in each of their accounts, WOW!!  

Second, a little boy born with a really bad cleft lip and couldn’t even suck or drink to survive and wouldn’t make it.  Move with a huge heart of compassion and a willingness to speak out that in faith something could be done, Katie Swan write a moving blog about it.  Next thing, some doctor in America knows someone in Manila who does those sugeries (which are expensive!!) and offers to do it for free so the child can survive in the poor broken streets.  People who bought into the same vision of seeing God’s kingdom come and He took care of it all.

 

 

On a day of house to house evangelism we meet a lady named Esther who has a blind husband named Chalice who have a one room mudded walled house with a small bed, wood couch and chair and table; all their belongings.  Sharing the Gospel with Esther, she comes to receive Christ, and praying over Chalice sight in faith; the follow hours in the mail came a disability application for help financially they had been asking for years and gave up.  We offer to help get his photos done and pay for the application and postage.  In the midst of this serving like Christ, Chalice comes to faith and then after praying He has a small restoration of sight.  Two weeks later he arrives at a church he’s never been too before and they pray over him; a father who lost his first wife to AIDS.  Bought into the same vision of seeing God’s kingdom and He took care of it all.

 

September 2010 – Romania

A N Squad Racer, named Trevor, is diagnosed with severe Stage 9 Malaria.  He’s battling for his life, has surgery from a ruptured spleen and many other problems; only to find out insurance won’t cover it either (So much for American dream and insurance caring for people).  His father is on his way to Ukraine to be with his son and must be emergency evacuated back to the States.  Tons of prayers are lifted, people care all over the world and become family for this man of God in churches and home, and people follow through.  His recovery becomes better than expected and can fly home in a few days not within immediateness, people have now almost donated the $96,000 within the last few days and he’s looking like He’ll make it.  People in faith bought into the same vision of seeing God’s Kingdom and He took care of it all.

 

 

A teammate of mine is in need of a huge amount of support to stay on the Race, but within the last couple of months has been hanging onto control and not fully letting God have it.  Instead of letting go an letting God, this person is afraid of failure.  Then this past week on a day off, God spoke to the person and showed the Racer that she needs to let go; so she did finally.  She would need about $2,000 dollars in three days to stay with us and we said whatever happens is in the Lord’s will.  The next day, she got three donations: $400, $400, $1200 and she is still able to be done.  It could have been done a long time ago, but maybe God was needing the faith to be first stepped out at this point and then He said, “Ok, now let me show you.”

 

 

Do you get it?  Never count Him out but don’t expect it to be a free for all either.  The common thing in all of these stories is the step of faith we took before any evidence of God coming through was shown yet.  One of my all time favorite stories is when Jesus raises Jairus’ daughter in Mark 5.  Here comes Jesus walking into the home as people are crying and He says, “She is not dead, but asleep.”  What?  Seriously, no wonder they laughed at them.  But, he kicked them out and did a miracle before the faithful few.

So what if we doubted?  What if we professed to be Christians but really didn’t trust God is Who He says He is and can do what He says He can do?  The coolest thing in Mark 5 is that Jesus kicked the people out, because there will be times in life where Jesus will ask us to do the impossible, the crazy things that make no sense, to have compassion for something when it all seems lost.  And then you have to make the choice on whether you’re going to let distractions, doubts, other unbelieving people, not have trust in the Author of life OR make that crazy abandonment in faith and sign up before any evidence is shown.  Total Dependency: It’s a really good place to be.  God wants us to step out in faith before any kind of evidence is there, because if it was there what faith and dependency would be required?

And in moments of real faith, kick out doubts the enemy and world will want to give you.  God says in Jeremiah 29:13-14a “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by You, declares the Lord.”  An incredible promise He makes.  Seek God first, faith first in Him, and let Him blow your mind away.   So God asked me two days ago, “Do you, John, trust me?”  And there was a hesitation, even after all I’ve seen.  And He said, “Let my past Faithfulness be an anchor for your future that I will always be there.”  Yes Father, I trust you. And there’s one thing more I’m learning: It’s not about me, you, anyone. This is a gift of God, it’s Him and Him alone, faith is the key and whether He does or not, success is faithfulness.