Today's Word

"Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days. As it happened, Publius' father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in a prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed. As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip."    Acts 28:7-10

Today's Reflection  

Evil as represented by the sea and the snake and now sickness, has done its best work, but is nevertheless overcome. Paul is alive, Publius' father has been healed and God's power has once more been revealed.

It’s easy to think that the early church was nothing but miracle after miracle, healing after healing. And some wonder why that isn’t the case for the church today. One reason is that we in the West are skeptics. Belief in the supernatural doesn’t come easily for us who have been educated in a system that hails reason, empirical studies, and science as the paths to knowledge. Belief in the supernatural/miracles has always been difficult for me for that reason. It’s hard to break out of. Yet, oddly, it is reason that trumps relying on reason alone, because I reasonably conclude that if God is God, then nothing is off limits for him that corresponds to his character.

Another reason we view the early church as so supernatural is that we only have short summaries and brief glimpses of the history of the early church. If chapter after chapter is one miracle upon another, then it seems to us that that’s what it was like all the time.

My studied opinion tells me otherwise -  that there was a great deal of hard, persistent, persevering, difficult, painful obedience that had to be lived out in those first 30 years, and certainly thereafter. Many days, weeks, months and perhaps years for many people would go by with no supernatural sign of God’s presence, only white knuckled faith, trust and obedience in the face of hardship and persecution.

Yes, Paul cured a lot of sickness on Malta. Praise God. And yes, God has brought to me and my family that which I would describe as beyond belief supernatural blessings. Yet two things are still true. To see the blessing I must choose to have eyes that see. And I must choose to hold on and never give up when my eyes to see fail me.

Today's Prayer

"Father, thank you for your abundant blessings. Were I never to receive another evident answer to prayer, you will have given me enough and  I will know that all hopes, dreams, fears and aspirations are safe in your hands. Lord, as I live connected to you I have enough because you are enough. Amen”