Sunday, July 26, 2009

Just one more step of faith

Today’s Reading: Acts 4:15-16 (NIV)

15 So they ordered [Peter and John] to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and they conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it.

Good morning!

There is no denying a faith miracle when it happens to you. I have asked for and received special permission to share my friend’s story, so that you might find encouragement and hope in the midst of suffering and loss.

Harold made a split second decision while riding a lawn mower along his property line Friday morning. He was mowing a familiar strip of land along the slope of a dam he had installed a few years ago. When the mower began to tip, Harold jumped off in the opposite direction, hoping it would somehow miss dragging him down the hill. The loss of sudden weight caused the tractor right itself, and when the mower landed, the blades caught Harold’s feet. In desperate need for immediate help, Harold began to cry out loud Jesus’ name. He doesn’t remember how he was manged to get back on the mower, or how he drove it several hundred yards to the front driveway of his home. When Harold reached the garage door, he stood up on what was left of his shredded flesh, while crying, “Please, Lord, help me take just one more step.” He punched in the correct keypad number and waited for the garage door to open. Harold crawled through the back door, into mud room, up a few steps and into the kitchen, where he pulled the telephone off the counter and onto the floor. He dialed 911 before passing out. A few seconds later, the dispatcher at the other end of the line was able to get his attention and talked with him, assuring Harold that help was on the way. He was air lifted to a nearby hospital where Harold is now receiving around-the-clock care.

The Sanhedrin did not dispute that a miraculous event had obviously occurred in the life of the crippled man. They, along with the rest of Jerusalem, were witnesses to his amazing healing at the temple gate. Still, the chief priests and elders refused to believe in the wonder-working power of Jesus’ name. My friend Harold can tell you all about what happens when you employ the power of Jesus’ name. What physical proof would you need to convince you to take just one more step of faith and trust Jesus to save you today?

We never quite know where our life’s journey will lead. Sometimes we end up in the places we would rather not be. My friend has a long recovery ahead. Yet, Harold’s faith in Jesus Christ is more than enough to see him through. Of this, I have absolutely no doubt. Please continue to pray for my friend Harold and his family, during this time of physical suffering and loss.

When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Jesus Christ is there. You may not be sleeping tonight, because you are grieving the loss of a loved one, or you are struggling with physical or emotional pain. You may be longing for a supernatural healing, a miracle to restore your loss of physical mobility. You may be struggling tonight with the heartbreak and pain caused by a failed marriage. Maybe you are missing your child, who is fighting a war half way around the world just to keep our country free and safe. My prayer for you is that you will know, without a doubt, that you are not alone. Jesus Christ feels your pain. He loves you so much and wants you to trust Him completely. If you will ask Him into your heart right now, He will run to you and you will sense His amazing strength. He will become your sure foundation and help in time of need. Cry out to Him today; ask Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life. He will help you take the next step of faith.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

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