Deeper Still by phil mccallum

Scripture
Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” 2 Kings 4:1-4

Observation
Before reading on, first a disclaimer. I am not a thrill-seeking, miracle junkie who believes that every day holds a miracle. I think miracles are miracles because they are unusual. A true miracle is when God sets aside his normal mode of operating that appears to us to break the laws of nature. Actually, God isn’t breaking any laws, he’s just acting like himself. This surprises us and we call it a miracle. But God is quite relaxed about the whole process. After all, he is God. We are surprised, after all we are human.

Here’s the uncomfortable part for me. Elijah and Elisha get my curiosity aroused. I would be far more at ease to leave them in children’s picture books. But their lives draw me to the risky edge of the miraculous.  These were ordinary men, just like us, yet their lives were filled with surprising events. What did these men do that made room for the miraculous? I could easily hydroplane over these stories and consider them history. But they are reality, written to stretch me to be more open to the miraculous. Here’s a pattern I can see in their miracles of how I can be more of a conduit of the miracle working power of God.

1. Spiritual father. Both Elijah and Elisha were spiritual fathers, who had endured tough times so that they could discern between want and real needs in the spiritual children around them. This enabled them to assess desperate situations to have a sense when God wanted to intervene with the miraculous.

2. Man of God. Both were men of God, whose hearts were closer to what God desires than to their own desires. They could be trusted by God to step beyond just asking in prayer, but declaring the desires of God.

3. Desperation. The miracles came only to needy people in desperate times clinging to the edge of hope. There was no other option left.

4. Creative words. As men of God and spiritual fathers, these prophets did more than pray, they discerned the will of God and spoke with confidence of God’s intentions. Their words inspired people to act in faith and became creative to make room for miracles.

5. Catalyst. There was often a catalyst, some material thing or unusual action, that would release the power of God into the situation.

6. Power. Something about the desperate need, confident faith and the willingness to risk appealed to God and released creative power to work a miracle.

Application
All of this stretches me far beyond where I feel comfortable to act. And yet there is something about these stories that keeps calling me back to reflect more. The big question is, was their style just an Old Testament, prophet thing, or is there any of this in the NT?  So I go straight to Jesus. We find him doing some of the same. Instead of praying over the sick, he often speaks with words of confidence as if they were well. His words were creative words. Peter spoke with words that brought death to Ananias and Sapphira. Paul spoke and Elymus went blind. These were not everyday events, they were miracles. Jesus, Paul and Peter were not ordinary men. They were seasoned men of God and spiritual fathers. And yet their lives disturb me and draw me to live more than an ordinary life.

Prayer
Father, I’m processing still, not because I doubt, but because I know my limits. I’m not Elisha nor Elijah. But the masters motivate me to expect more. Jesus said “greater things than these.” So I lay the ordinariness of my life before you and ask you to do something quite surprising. And because I am so ordinary, if you choose to do something miraculous, anyone who hears of it will know it had nothing to do with me. Do surprising things through the people around me and even through me on occasion. Amen.

Share on Facebook

Press the arrow to listen to New Life Worship sing “Here In Your Presence” while reading today’s devotion about the miraculous power of God.

Scripture
As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. Mark 11:20

The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. Numbers 17:8

Observation
If we are to pray with faith for the miraculous, what is supernatural must become almost natural to our thinking. There is a sense when we pray for healing that we are asking for something so far beyond the norm that we can’t conceive it. But we need to open our minds to let the superantural seem natural to us. That is where faith is born. Here’s what I do to increase my faith.

I close my eyes and I see a row of sticks laying in the dark in the presence of God. One of them is Aaron’s rod. There are no roots to draw moisture. There is no soil to make things grow. There is no water to be drawn up as sap. There is no sunlight to begin photosynthesis. But the atmosphere of God’s house is heavy with a humidity without moisture and a warmth without sunlight. Richer than the nurturing environment of a greenhouse, it is God’s Spirit caressing the lifeless dead stick laying on the ground. The atmosphere around that dead wood works without roots, soil, water or light. Life emerges from the centre of the rod. Buds, leaves, flowers, and fruit emerge. This is the atmosphere of heaven bringing life where there was none before. It is all naturally supernatural.

When we pray for the sick or we lay lifeless things in the presence of God, this is the same restorative power that is at work in them. The supernatural seems almost natural with faith in our hearts.

I close my eyes again and see Jesus, the Creator of all, talking to a tree as if it were human. With one sentence that tree gave up the will to live and was dead before the sun was up. In the spring time when life was on the move and in a tree that for decades had lived death suddenly came. What power there is in the word of Christ. His word can drain life or restore it. It is nice to know that Jesus took out his anger on trees rather than people. Again what is supernatural seems almost natural if we look at it with faith.

Application
Old timers will speak about “bathing in prayer” the requests that they bring to the Lord. I should have a sense as I pray for the sick or the impossible, that I am immersing these lifeless things into the miracle-grow of the Lord. The same life-giving power that rose Christ from the dead is at work within me and the things I pray for.

Prayer
Father, give me the courage to lay lifeless things in the darkroom before you that they may live. Give me the faith that the obstacles in the way can be shriveled with one word from you. Let my prayers be naturally supernatural. Amen.

Share on Facebook

Press the arrow to listen to Chris Tomlin sing “We are Hungry” as you read today’s devotion about getting hungry enough for a miracle.

Scripture
At about this same time he again found himself with a hungry crowd on his hands. He called his disciples together and said, “This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they’ll faint along the way—some of them have come a long distance.” Mark 8:1-3 (The Message)

Observation
What is it that draws the miraculous out of Jesus Christ? It must be persistent hunger. The sight of 4,000 men going without food for 72 hours just to hear all they could hear was more than Jesus could bear to look at. It was more than Jesus being touched by hungry stomachs but by hungry souls.

Right on the heels of this a delegation of preachers showed up, fat and happy, and demanded a sign from Jesus. It is no wonder that Jesus sighed deeply. He had just come from 4,000 hungry men, hungry for words of truth, prepared to embrace discomfort to hear more. Next to come were those who would not pay the price and yet demanded a miracle.

Application
How many times do I come to Christ and demand a miracle without paying the price of desire? Plenty, I’m sure. I want to sit beside the 3,999th man in the crowd, and to be just one person hungering to hear more from Jesus Christ. Miracles may come or may not. It does not matter. I want only to hear his voice.

Prayer
Father, today I join the crowd of the desperate waiting to hear the words of Christ. Amen.

Share on Facebook

Click arrow to listen to worship while you read today’s devotion.

Silvie Paladino “Your Grace Still Amazes Me” at Sydney’s Carols by Candlelight 2006

Scripture
Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.” Joshua 3:5

Observation
There are many ordinary dusty days on dirty roads that disappear into the distance. For 40 years God’s people had shuffled through the desert. One day was as bland as the next. But God was on the verge of doing something surprising. The journey was about to come to an end. No longer would they walk; they would now fight. Gone would be the tents as they moved into homes. Life was about to change dramatically.

The people were commanded to clean themselves up for the miracle of God just ahead on the road. Prayers would be prayed, sacrifices given, wrongs made right along with much washing and bathing. On miracle morning they were scrubbed up from the inside out.

Application
We need to live on tip-toe to see what God will do next. Expectation is more than excitement; it also includes our preparation. A ready heart is a welcome mat to the miracle working Jesus in our lives. Because the Lord is coming we are to get ready but also in some ways also because we are ready the Lord comes.

Joshua’s message would be heard centuries later along the banks of the same Jordan River as John the Baptist would say, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand; repent and be baptized.” That expectation brought the Messiah. What will happen with my expectation? This story calls me to do more than to get excited about what God is about to do; it is a command to get ready for it.

Prayer
Father, I do want you to act on my behalf, but what is there about my life that would entice you to do so? Let it be my soul cleansing from the inside out. Help me to know how in these days I can prepare for what is next. And may my expectation move you to action. Amen.

Share on Facebook

Worship as you read this devotion by pressing the arrow.
Song: Delirious Miracle Maker

Scripture
Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?”
“Seven loaves,” they replied.
So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. Mark 8:5-6

Observation
The “Feeding of the 5,000″ story is repeated in all four gospels. There is a reason why. The “Feeding of the 4,000″ is like an instant replay in slow motion of the first miracle. There is a reason for that as well. If God repeats something twice there is something important he is teaching; if that lesson is written multiple times then it must be very important for us today.

What is the Holy Spirit saying to us? Simple: the way Jesus met this need is how we are to sustain every ministry we do. Jesus was not intimidated by the need or nervous about resources, instead he moved in purposeful, slow motion making clear-headed decisions that led to miraculous provision. When I read this story, what stands out to me is the panic of the disciples contrasted with the serene stability of Jesus. They were looking at the bottom of the bag while Jesus perceived the edges of heaven.

Application
Just hours later the disciples flew into another flap about not having enough groceries with them. Jesus repeated the lesson a third time (which means to really, really listen) then added, “Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus wants anyone in ministry to understand this as well. Ministry to people, especially large numbers of people, will always take a leader beyond his ability to supply. A pastor is given a father’s heart, yet he is taking care of God’s family, which has too many hungry mouths. Just as Jesus couldn’t pay the lunch bill, so over and over again in ministry we will be taken far beyond our ability to supply. What are we to do? Jesus modeled for us actions that said in effect: if I am a servant, then this is God’s problem. Jesus did what practically could be done and lifted his eyes to heaven and gave the difficulty to the Father. There is the example for us to follow. Whatever the need, the problem is not ours, it is God’s. Faith is not shown by a worried brow or flexing jaws, but in a simply doing what next needs to be done and expecting God to do the rest. Just keep walking forward with one good decision after another and see where God takes you.

Prayer
Father, you are our Provider, but so often we act as if you are not. Help me never to see an organization, an institution, a person, a paycheck or any other thing to be my sustenance. That is far too limited. Instead, let me like Jesus learn the relaxed upward gaze in front of a hungry crowd. Let me not get stage fright when it comes my time to walk in serene trust. Amen.

Share on Facebook

Nick Vujicic is proof that Jesus is still working miracles today. He was born without arms or legs but lets nothing stop him.

Scripture
Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Sudeenly thre was a great earthqake! For an angle of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid! he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead…..” Matthew 28:1,2 & 5

Observation
What a way to start the day…to kick off the week…with a visit to a graveyard.

I do the same when I wake up with reruns of yesterday in my mind. Why is it that we start our day with someone by watching someone else’s bad news?

But ever since that first Sunday any day anything is possible. Angels can show up in the graveyard. The dead can live again. Jesus is on the loose. His power is working in me. Monday isn’t Monday anymore.

Application
I can start this day with expectation because anything is possible.

Prayer
Lord, wake me up today with a miracle. Amen.

Share on Facebook

Scripture
“Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Mark 5:35-36

Observation
The death of a child is a strange event today. I’ve only encountered 6 child deaths firsthand in my 46 years of living. But that is only a recent experience. Go back in history more than a 100 years and the death of a child was a common thing. Take my grandmother’s family for instance. There were five children born, but only my grandmother and her brother lived to maturity. Many people had large families in hopes that at least some would live to adulthood.

A child’s death was a common statistic in Jesus’ day, but that does not mean that people felt any less pain than we do. Jairus had the faith to challenge the statistics. God could make a difference in the life of this one, he believed, because her father had the faith to ask.

Faith is a confidence that God can make an exception in the statistics for me. Though hundreds of children would die that day in Israel, Jesus wanted to make a difference in the life of this one child simply because he father asked. To use faith we must make a choice not to cave into statistics. God is an anti-statistical God who leaves the 99 sheep in search of one lost lamb. We can dare to ask greatly of him.

Jairus took many cold water baths on his way to his daughter’s miracle. First came the news of her terminal illness. But Jairus plunged through that ice water to ask Jesus for help. Then came the news of her death. But Jairus would not spill one drop of the faith he had; he kept looking to Jesus. Finally, laughter threatened to erode away his confidence. Laughter is a fire blanket. How many miracles have been suffocated because someone has been unwilling to be ridiculed. But Jairus waded through the laughter and took Jesus to her bedside.

Application
If I am to see miracles in my life then I must be willing to wade through disappointments into the presence of an anti-statistical God and to ask more than is reasonable. There is a miracle there if I persevere.

Prayer
Father, I chose faith. It is worth troubling you because you want to be bothered. That’s what prayer is about. Work a miracle through me. Amen.

Share on Facebook